Unexpected Outcomes
by Ronda Sexton
Summary: AU story beginnng 4 weeks after "Conundrum."


  
Title: Unexpected Outcomes  
Author: Ronda Sexton  
Series: TNG-AU  
Code: Riker/Ro  
Rating: PG13  
  
Ro Laren left the sickbay with a troubled expression on her  
face. She never expected this to happen. After the Lysian  
incident, she and Deanna had teased Will about the brief  
affair he had with her. If she had known their affair would  
result in pregnancy, she never would have teased him about  
it. She walked down the corridor, arms tightly folded in  
front of her. She had to talk to Guinan. She was the really  
the only person, other than Captain Picard, that Laren  
trusted. She could not go to him yet. She paused in front  
of Guinan's quarters for a few moments then sounded the  
chime. She heard a voice say, "Come," as the door slid  
open. She walked in and saw Guinan sitting in a chair by  
the table .  
  
"Hello, Laren," said Guinan. "You look upset. Sit down  
and tell me what's wrong."  
  
Tears welled up in Laren's eyes. She sat in the chair by  
Guinan. She shook her head. "I'm in trouble again. Do  
you remember when the Satarrans took control of the  
ship?"  
  
Guinan nodded, "Yes, I remember,""  
  
"I'm sure you heard I had an affair with Commander Riker  
while our memories were blocked."  
  
Guinan nodded again, she suspected what Laren's problem  
was now, and waited for her to continue.  
  
"Well," began Laren, tears sliding silently down her  
cheeks, "I just left sickbay. I'm pregnant." She buried her  
face in her hands and sat there quietly, trying not to cry.  
Guinan's heart went out to her. She came to stand by Laren  
and placed her hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Laren, you know I'll help you any way I can, but you have  
to tell Will. He should hear it from you instead of reading  
it in the Crew Health Status Reports. It will harder on both  
of you if he finds out in the report."  
  
She looked at Guinan with tear filled eyes. I know, but I'm  
afraid to tell him. We don't get along that well. He'll be  
furious, and he's going to blame me. I'm the one who  
instigated the affair by seducing him."  
  
Guinan shook her head. "Will is not going to be angry with  
you, and he won't blame you either. As for you seducing  
him, he could have said no. He choose to participate in  
unprotected sex with you. The responsibility for the  
pregnancy falls equally on both of you. Will is a good man.  
I know that he's been hard on you, but that's only because  
he wants to see you reach your potential. Go talk to him.  
He'll be shocked, but he won't blame you. I know it's hard  
for you to trust people, but you have to trust Will now.  
Both of you are going to have to work together to get  
through this."  
  
Laren smiled weakly. "You're right, Guinan. I'd better go  
tell him now, Dr. Crusher's Crew Health Status Report will  
be going to him at the end of the shift. If roles were  
reversed, I know I'd rather hear it in person than read about  
it in a report. She stood up and turned toward the door.  
  
"Wait a minute," said Guinan. "Go to the bathroom and  
rinse your face. Everyone you see will ask what's wrong."  
  
Laren went into the bathroom and rinsed her face. When  
she came out, Guinan nodded. "That's better. Now go to  
Commander Riker's office and tell him."  
  
Laren walked slowly down the corridor to the  
Commander's office. Her mind was reeling. How could  
this have happened. What would Commander Riker say?  
At his door, she paused briefly and then sounded the chime.  
The door slid open to admit her to the office.  
  
"Come in, Ensign Ro." Will gave her a friendly smile as he  
wondered why she had come to see him.  
  
Laren walked into the room with her arms tightly crossed in  
front of her. I will not cry, she thought to herself. That  
will only make him angrier. No matter what happens, I  
will not cry. She sat down keeping her arms crossed in  
front of her.  
  
"You seem upset, Ensign. Is there something wrong?"  
asked Will. He wondered what could have her so troubled.  
Whatever the problem was, he hoped he would be able to  
help her.  
  
She sat silently for a few minutes with a distraught  
expression on her face. Will sensed something was really  
wrong and waited patiently.  
  
Finally, she spoke, "Commander, when I said that the time  
we spent together when the Satarrans took control of the  
ship would be something we would treasure forever, I was  
teasing you. I wish I was teasing you now, but I'm not. I'm  
four weeks pregnant." She looked at her lap, expecting the  
First Officer to explode in anger. Then she expected him to  
remind her that he had said he hoped that they would not  
regret it and lay the blame on her. All of her fears were  
completely unfounded.  
  
Will was shocked!! "Ensign Ro, I...I don't know what to  
say. Are you sure?"  
  
She looked up at him fearfully, and was surprised to see no  
anger, only shock and sympathy.  
  
" I'm sure," she began miserably. "I wouldn't be here  
humiliating myself if I wasn't sure, Commander. I had my  
suspicions, and Dr. Crusher confirmed it this morning. I  
wanted to tell you before you read it in the Crew Health  
Status Reports. It would have been very unfair to let you to  
learn about it that way."  
  
He shook his head. He decided to use a more personal  
touch with their conversation, hoping that she would find it  
comforting. "I'm so sorry, Laren. I appreciate you having  
the courage to come tell me in person, I realize how  
difficult it was." He looked at her thoughtfully, afraid of  
how she might answer his next question. "Have you thought  
about what you're going to do?" He stayed at his desk,  
respecting her personal space, wanting to offer comfort, but  
not wanting to offend or frighten her. He could only hope  
her answer would not be to terminate the pregnancy.  
  
"I've suspected it for two weeks now. I've had plenty of  
time to think. I plan to have the baby and raise him. I  
realize it will be embarrassing for both of us, but it is not  
the baby's fault he was unplanned." She met Will's eyes  
with a steady gaze, daring him to disagree with her She  
would not have an abortion. "To Bajorans, all children are  
precious. Far too many were killed by Cardasians during  
the occupation."  
  
"I'm not worried about embarrassment, Laren," he said  
softly. "My only concern is for you and the baby. I am  
glad you plan to keep the baby. I will help you in any way I  
can. I'm just as responsible for the pregnancy as you. I  
accept my responsibility. I willingly made love with you  
during that time."  
  
Laren studied his face carefully. He seemed sincere, but  
trust did not come easily for her. She feared he was only  
*doing his duty.* "You don't have to Commander, I'll be  
okay....It's not your fault. After all, I was the one who  
seduced you." Her voice was breaking, and she looked  
back down at her folded arms, tears forming in her eyes.  
Yes, this was Will's son too, but she didn't want him to feel  
he had to do anything for her.  
  
He got up from his chair and came around the desk to stand  
beside her. "You may have come to my quarters to seduce  
me, but I wanted you as much as you wanted me. I'm just  
as responsible as you. I'll do whatever I can to help raise  
our baby." He placed a hand on her shoulder. When she  
didn't pull away, he squeezed it gently, offering comfort.  
His unexpected compassion loosened her tightly held  
emotions. She began trembling, silent tears streaming  
down her face. He knelt beside the chair and took her in  
his arms. She offered no resistance. He kept patting her  
back soothing her.  
  
"Shh....It'll be okay. We'll get through this. You'll see."  
It felt so good to be held and comforted. Tears coursed  
down her cheeks. Will held her, and let her cry. He  
wondered even as he soothed her, how he could convince  
her he was sincere. Being abandoned by his own father  
made him determined to be the best father he could be to  
his son.  
  
After a few minutes, she pulled back and he released her.  
"I'm sorry, I lost control, commander," she said in an  
embarrassed voice, as she wiped the tears off of her face.  
  
"You don't need to apologize. You've been trying to deal  
with this alone with no emotional support. There's no  
shame in losing control" A sudden uneasiness crossed his  
mind. She seemed so distraught. Was it only due to the  
fact she was pregnant, or was it something else. "Dr.  
Crusher examined you this morning. Is the baby all  
right?"  
  
"The baby's fine. It's a boy. I saw him on the monitor, he's  
perfect." She smiled remembering the tiny perfect form  
wiggling on the screen.  
  
"I'm glad to hear our son is normal." He looked at her,  
pleased to see she had no negative reaction to "our son,"  
because he was very serious about taking his full share of  
responsibility for the child. His child would not suffer the  
pain he had from being abandoned by his father. He would  
make sure that would never happen to his son.  
  
"Have you told anyone else?" he asked softly.  
  
"Only Guinan, she's my closest friend on the ship. I  
remember when I first met her. She told me that she  
tended bar and listened. I went to her for advice. She told  
me that I had to tell you before you saw it in the Doctor's  
report. Deep down I knew I needed to, I just had to find  
the courage to do so. I was afraid to tell you. We usually  
don't get along very well. I was positive you'd be  
furious."  
  
"Laren, you've got to learn to trust people, me included. I  
know it seems I'm on your case most of the time, I just  
don't want you to waste your potential. You've made  
tremendous progress since you've joined our crew."  
"It's hard to trust people when you grew up in a Bajoran  
resettlement camp," she said softly.  
  
"You can't change your past, but you can make the future  
better. One way to start is trusting other people. Some  
people may let you down, but you can't give up on everyone  
just because some people have let you down.""  
  
"I know ," she said softly. "In fact I need to trust someone  
else with this news right now. I have to tell Captain Picard  
that I'm pregnant. It won't be easy. He gave me a second  
chance when I really didn't deserve it. I hope he isn't  
disappointed in me.  
  
"I agree, the Captain needs to be told, but I want us to tell  
him together. I'm involved too." He saw doubt cross her  
face and continued, "Laren, trust me, it will be easier if we  
tell him together."  
  
She gave him a small smile. It would be easier to face the  
Captain with Will rather than on her own. The Captain  
would just call him in anyway. Perhaps Will had really  
meant it when he said he'd take his share of responsibility  
for their child.  
  
"Let's get it over with." her voice trembled slightly.  
  
'It's going to be okay, Laren. I'm going to help you with our  
son. The Captain isn't going to think badly of you for  
having sex with me. He'll be as supportive as possible.  
Let's go." He took her hand and led her to the door. As  
they walked out of his quarters and into the corridor. Will  
tapped his CombadgeBadge.  
  
"Riker to Captain Picard."  
  
'Picard here. What is it Number One?"  
  
"Sir, can you meet me in the conference lounge  
immediately."  
  
I'm on my way. Is there a problem, Number One?"  
  
"I'll explain when I get there, sir."  
  
In the turbo lift he asked, "Has Dr. Crusher given you a due  
date yet?"  
  
"Bajoran women are pregnant for five months and humans  
for nine months. Dr. Crusher is not sure how long it will  
take since this is the first Bajoran-Human pregnancy.""  
  
"Well, no matter how long it takes both of you going to be  
fine. Dr. Crusher will make sure of that."  
  
An uncomfortable silence ensued in the turbolift. Laren  
nervously wondered how the Captain would react to the  
news. She hoped he would not be disappointed in her.  
He'd made her his special reclamation project after the  
incident with Orta. She wanted him to be proud of her, and  
now she was pregnant with the First Officer's baby. The  
lift doors opened, and they stepped out and walked to the  
conference room.  
  
"Remember Laren, everything will work out." whispered  
Will as the door to the conference room slid open before  
them. Captain Picard was already there when they entered  
the room. Laren looked at him nervously, and then  
lowered her gaze to the floor.  
  
"What is the problem, Will." asked Picard. Ensign Ro  
was clearly upset, and he wondered if Will was planning to  
bring her up on disciplinary action. The two of them  
seemed to butt heads with each other often enough.  
  
"Captain," began Will quietly. "Ensign Ro and I have  
something very important discuss with you."  
  
"Well, Number One, Ensign Ro sit down and explain the  
problem." said the Captain.  
  
"Sir," began Laren softly. "I'm pregnant."  
  
Picard stared at her in shocked disbelief. "Who is the  
baby's father, Laren?" he asked gently.  
  
"I am, Captain." said Will. "When the Satarrans took  
control of the ship and none of us had our memories, Laren  
and I had an affair. I've already assured her that I intend to  
accept my responsibility for her pregnancy."  
  
"I had no doubts you would, Will." said Picard. "How do  
you feel about all this, Laren?" His voice was so  
understanding and reassuring, she hoped she wouldn't cry  
again.  
  
"Well sir, I wish it had not happened, but since it has, I plan  
to have the child and raise him. I would also like to stay on  
the Enterprise. This is the only home I have. Dr. Crusher  
says the baby appears to be growing slowly by Bajoran  
standards, but he is normal. She isn't sure when I'll deliver,  
or if there will be complications with the pregnancy. This  
is the first Bajoran-Human pregnancy."  
  
"I'm sorry Laren got pregnant," began Will. "But I am glad  
that she wants to stay on the Enterprise. I plan to be an  
active father."  
  
Laren looked at Will. She took a step of trust and said, "I  
want you to be an active father. A father is very important  
to a child. We both know what it's like to be raised without  
a father. The Cardassians killed my father in front of me  
when I was seven years old. Your father abandoned you  
when you were fifteen. I would never deny you your rights  
to be involved with our son's life. I missed having a father,  
and I'll bet you did too."  
  
"Well, it seems you two have a good start on working this  
out," began the Captain. "I'll be getting regular reports  
from the Doctor on your condition. I'm sure everything  
will be fine." The Captain rose to his feet. "If you need  
anything else let me know. I'll give you all the help and  
support I can."  
  
"Thank you for your time, Captain." said Will. He and  
Laren walked out of the room together. "There, now that  
wasn't so bad was it?" asked Will gently.  
  
"I guess not," replied Laren softly. She looked at Will with  
a blank expression on her face. "At least the Captain took  
it well. I seem to be the only one who isn't taking it well"  
  
"You will soon," Will assured her. "You're the one who's  
pregnant. So it may take you longer. Besides, your body  
has to adjust to lot of hormonal changes right now." He  
placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know everything will  
work out Laren. Please try not to worry."  
  
"I'll try, but it won't be easy." she answered. "It's bad  
enough being pregnant, but because this is an inter-species  
pregnancy, Dr. Crusher wants to monitor me on a weekly  
basis. I'll be going to sickbay every week. She'll do  
imaging of the baby every week to make sure everything is  
developing properly. If problems occur, then she'll do  
whatever is necessary to save the baby and me."  
  
"Well, if you don't object, I'd like to go to the appointments  
with you. I want to follow our son's development too."  
  
Laren thought a moment. She had to try to trust Will. He  
was the father of her child. It would not be fair to refuse  
his request. He had a right to follow his son's development.  
"I have no objections," she said softly.  
  
"Good," said Will. "I meant what I said about taking my  
full share of responsibility for the child."  
  
********  
  
  
A week later, Laren waited uneasily with Will in Sick Bay  
for Dr. Crusher to examine her again. It was not a long  
wait, and Dr. Crusher was soon busy running scans.  
  
"Everything still looks good, Laren. The baby is continuing  
to develop normally. He's still growing a little slowly, but  
there's no need to worry yet. I'm going to put an image up  
on the monitor now." She hit a few buttons on the Medical  
Tricorder and the baby's image appeared on the monitor by  
the exam table. Will and Laren stared in awe at the sight  
of their unborn son.  
  
This is incredible, breathed Will. "Just five weeks old, and  
he can already suck his thumb."  
  
"That's not all," said Dr. Crusher. "He also has fingerprints,  
he can urinate, and listen to this." She hit another button  
on the Tricorder and they heard the unmistakable sound of  
a tiny heart beating. "That's his heartbeat." She smiled at  
the wonder and amazement on their faces. "Everything is  
going fine, Laren. Continue the Vitamin supplements I  
gave you last week, and eat a balanced diet . Try to eat  
foods from all the major food groups at every meal,  
especially proteins, fruits, and vegetables. We want that  
little boy to stay healthy. Keep working on your relaxation  
exercises too. They'll help you during delivery."  
  
"Thank you, Doctor," said Laren softly. "I'll do my best.  
There is one thing I am concerned about. I've been having  
trouble eating. I haven't been hungry. You said the baby's  
growth was a little slow. I know that it will hurt the baby if  
I don't eat properly. What can I do?"  
  
"Well, considering the stress you've been under, it's no  
wonder. Now that Commander Riker knows about your  
pregnancy, that should help reduce some stress. Don't  
worry about it now. Let' see if you do better over the next  
two to three weeks. I'll see you next week." Dr. Crusher  
smiled warmly at Laren and Will as they departed. It  
would be interesting to see how all of this worked out.  
Will was a man of integrity. She knew that Will accepted  
his responsibility. He had come to talk with her soon after  
Laren told him she was pregnant. Laren was having an  
extremely difficult time accepting her pregnancy and was  
very wary around Will. It would take time, but Laren  
would come to trust Will.  
  
In the corridor, Will turned to Laren. "It's an hour and a  
half to our duty shift. You should get something to eat.  
Doctor's orders you know." He smiled encouragingly at  
her.  
Laren shrugged, "I know I should, I'm not really hungry, but  
I'd better eat something."  
  
Will studied her thoughtfully. He wanted to make sure she  
ate. "Come along with me to Ten-Forward. We can both  
get something to eat there." She looked into his eyes, and  
saw that it was useless to protest, so she walked with him  
to Ten-Forward. As they walked in together and found a  
table, crew members stared at the unusual sight of the Will  
and Laren dining together.  
  
"Maybe this is not such a good idea," began Laren. "People  
are staring at us." Her face turned red.  
  
"They're just surprised to see us together. Don't let it bother  
you." He walked over to a food replicator and ordered two  
steak dinners. He sat hers in front of her. "Now eat, Laren.  
The steak will provide the protein, and the vegetables and  
fruit are good for you too."  
  
She slowly picked up a fork. She didn't want to be here, let  
alone eat. She wondered how long it be before she started  
to show. The ship's gossip mill would be going full force.  
Maybe Will did not care about ship gossip, but it bothered  
her to know that once again she would become the topic of  
even more gossip. Even though Captain Picard had given  
her a second chance, some people had felt she did not  
deserve to be serving on the Enterprise. Garon II was a part  
of the past she had long sought to leave behind her. It had  
been her stubbornness that caused the deaths of the other  
crew members. She often relived that day in her  
nightmares.  
  
"Laren.....Laren?" Will reached over to touch her hand. "I  
asked you twice, how do you like you meal?"  
  
She blushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. The food is fine.  
I was just lost in thought."  
  
Will wiped his mouth and grinned. "It's a good thing you  
liked it, it's almost gone."  
  
She looked down at her plate in surprise. "This is the most  
I've eaten in weeks. That will be good for the baby."  
  
"Maybe you should eat meals with me more often, if that  
will make you eat more. I'll just have to get used to having  
a silent meal." said Will with a teasing smile.  
  
Laren looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to  
be rude." She stared down at the table.  
"I'm just teasing, Laren. Why don't you drop the Sir when  
we're not on duty," suggested Will.  
  
"Okay, whatever," said Laren with a touch of uneasiness.  
Will was trying, she had to admit that. She still wasn't sure  
whether she really wanted him to. She wondered what his  
motivations were. She stood to her feet. "Well, it's almost  
time for my duty shift to start, so I'd better head for the  
bridge. I'll see you there." Before Will could object, she  
was gone.  
  
Will shook his head, it was not going to be easy, but  
somehow he would prove to Laren that she could trust him.  
Dr. Crusher told him it would take time and to be patient.  
He wondered how long it would take. After the Satarran  
incident, he had found himself thinking of her late at night  
when he could not sleep. She had been a spectacular lover.  
Filled with fiery hot passion. Now as a result of their  
passion filled affair, she carried his child. He shoved the  
memories to the back of his mind. It was time to report to  
the Bridge. He strode across the deck and walked out the  
door.  
  
********  
  
  
  
Two weeks later, after her weekly exam, Laren sat in her  
quarters looking at a huge pile of pasta and two side dishes  
of vegetables. She hadn't gained as much weight as the  
doctor thought she should, and the baby was still growing  
too slowly, so Dr. Crusher programmed the food replicators  
to give her a special maternity diet. At least Will had not  
been at the exam to hear the discouraging report. There  
had been an important away mission to deliver scientific  
materials to a research station, and he had to lead the  
mission. It was actually a relief to be away from him for a  
while. He was beginning to drive her crazy. She thought  
that it was because he cared, but he had become somewhat  
overprotective of her. As, she picked up her fork to begin  
eating, the door chime sounded.  
  
"Come," she said busying herself with her food. Perhaps  
whoever it was wouldn't stay long. Everyone on the ship  
knew she was pregnant. It hadn't been too hard to figure  
out who the father was either. Their weekly visits to  
sickbay for her checkups, and Will spending a lot of his off  
duty time with her were all the clues anyone really needed  
to draw their own conclusions.  
  
Guinan walked into her quarters. "Hello Laren," began  
Guinan. "When you didn't come to Ten-Forward for lunch,  
I was concerned. So I came to check on you."  
  
Laren blushed. "I decided to eat in my quarters today. Dr.  
Crusher put me on a special diet. I haven't gained enough  
weight, and that the baby has not grown enough. I really  
was trying to eat as much as I could. Now the food  
replicator records whatever I don't finish. If I don't eat  
enough, she said she put me in sick bay and use a plasma  
infusion unit on me. Will is going to be fussing over me  
even more now," sighed Laren. "I know he is just trying to  
help, but sometimes it gets to be too much."  
  
"Sounds like you'd better eat more. Then the doctor won't  
use the plasma infusion unit on you, and Will won't fuss  
over you so much. What you have today looks great. Keep  
on eating, I've already had my lunch."  
  
Laren continued eating. The food was good. She looked at  
Guinan and smiled. "At least with the Doctor's diet, Will  
can't feed me some of his stranger concoctions." She made  
a face. "Last night, he made Chili, and I had such bad  
indigestion, that I thought I was going to die. To make  
matters worse, since I'm pregnant, I couldn't take anything  
for it."  
  
"Pregnant women have had to live with indigestion for  
years." saidGuinan. "I remember when I was pregnant with  
my second child, I had indigestion nomatter what I ate."  
  
"Dr. Crusher said that this diet should help quell the  
indigestion. It's not high in fat, and it's blander than Will's  
chili,"  
  
"I think just about every food that exists is blander than the  
Commander's chili. That stuff could almost eat right  
through the hull of the ship," laughed Guinan. Just then,  
the door chimed sounded. "Looks like you've got more  
company,Laren." I'll go and leave you to your company."  
She walked to the door as it opened. Will stood in the  
doorway. "See you later, Laren, Will." With that, Guinan  
breezed out the door leaving them alone.  
  
"Hello, Laren," began Will. He smiled warmly. "I'm sorry  
I couldn't be here for the exam. What did the doctor say  
about you and the baby?""  
  
"Well I haven't gained enough weight, and the baby hasn't  
grown enough, so, she's put me on a special diet. The food  
replicators will issue me what's on the diet, and record any  
food I leave on my plate."  
  
"Well, with the Doctor's diet, you'll do better. The baby  
will too. You've got some great food. I haven't had my  
lunch yet, and you look like you can use some company."  
Laren nodded mutely, what else could she do? Tell Will  
no, and ask him to leave. She was trying hard not to have  
any major conflicts with Will. Besides, a part of her  
wanted to be with him. His kindness and gentleness  
towards her since she told him about the baby had really  
made an impression on her, even if his occasional bouts of  
over protectiveness drove her crazy. She wanted to love  
and trust Will in return, but it wasn't easy. Will walked  
over to the replicator and ordered up some pasta for  
himself. He carried it to the table.  
  
"I got all the materials delivered to the science team. If I  
hadn't had to supervise that mission, I'd have been there  
with you, Laren. I wish you could have rescheduled your  
appointment."  
  
"Doctor Crusher wants to examine me at the same time  
each week." she reminded him gently.  
  
Will gave her a charming smile. "Well, the Doctor knows  
best. We need to do what ever she says, so we'll have a  
healthy son." He looked at her with deep warmth, and she  
shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Will meant well, but  
sometimes, she found herself overwhelmed by the intensity  
of his emotions.  
  
She began to sneeze. After eight sneezes she said, "I hate  
these sneezing fits. People are even betting on how many  
times I'll sneeze when I start." She rolled her eyes in  
disgust.  
  
"Don't let them get to you, Laren. Some people are just  
insensitive." Will vowed silently to himself to find out who  
was betting on Laren's sneezing fits and put a stop to it.  
They finished the meal with light talk of the mornings  
away team mission.  
  
*********  
  
  
  
Two months into the pregnancy, Laren began to show. Her  
uniform had been getting tighter, and she'd finally  
surrendered to the inevitable of wearing a maternity  
uniform. At least there had been no more betting on her  
sneezing fits. Through the grapevine she had heard that  
Will had put a stop to it. He was really trying hard to help  
and be supportive, but at the same time, he was becoming  
increasingly over protective. They had had a big argument  
when she felt he had gone overboard. She had told him  
that she was the one who was pregnant, and as long as the  
doctor okayed it, she would keep on using her favorite  
holodeck sailing program. Laren frowned as her door  
chime sounded, because she didn't want to be bothered  
right now. Fighting with Will always left her out of sorts.  
  
"Come," she said. The door slide open to reveal the First  
Officer. He had some flowers in his hand.  
  
"I'm sorry that I made the fuss about the sailing program. I  
know that the holodeck has safeguards built in, I just  
wasn't thinking. I only want to make sure you and the baby  
stay safe. He handed her the flowers. "I hope these make  
you feel better. I know giving them to you makes me feel  
better."  
  
Lauren accepted the flowers with a small smile. "Will,  
you've got to realize that I'm not going to do anything to  
hurt our baby. You said I needed to trust you, well you  
need to trust me too. She sat the flowers on the desk. I've  
got something else to tell you too. She smiled and  
continued. I've started feeling the baby move. You can't  
feel it on the outside yet, but I can feel him moving  
inside"  
  
Will looked at her slightly bulging stomach. "You can feel  
him now. That must be an incredible experience. Men  
miss out there. It almost makes me wish we were the ones  
who got pregnant instead of the women"  
  
She looked at him in amusement. "If men had to have the  
babies, after their first pregnancy, they would never have  
another one."  
  
He gave her a concerned look. "You're not worried about  
the baby are you? Dr. Crusher says your pregnancy is  
coming along fine. In fact, she said he was growing very  
quickly now. He's even at the top of the growth scale."  
  
"I'm not too worried," she said. "At least, the labor and  
delivery shouldn't be too bad. I'm glad I won't need any  
drugs for it." said Lauren.  
  
"What do you mean no drugs?" asked Will in confusion.  
"Why should you suffer needlessly?"  
  
"Will, I won't suffer. Baron women do not have pain  
during childbirth.Our bodies release natural endorphins that  
make us feel pleasure instead." she explained gently. "The  
only problem that may come up is my labor stopping if it  
goes on too long. If the endorphins begin to rise to toxic  
levels, then labor stops"  
  
"What would cause you to be in labor too long?" asked  
Will in a concerned tone. "I thought Dr. Crusher said  
everything was fine."  
  
"With the baby it is. She says I'm still too stressed out. If I  
am not totally relaxed during delivery, my labor can go too  
long. It could even become necessary to do a C-section or  
risk a fetal transport can't be." said Laren.  
  
"What about dangers from the C-section or fetal transport?"  
asked Will.  
  
"Well, here on the ship there won't be too many risks from  
a C-section. The biggest risk is blood loss. Fetal transports  
are only done as a last resort. Lost of cellular cohesion is a  
risk factor with it. We hope to avoid either one. You keep  
hearing Dr. Crusher tell me to work on relaxation  
exercises. "  
  
Will nodded. "I've noticed she tells you that quite often."  
  
"They'll help me when I go into labor." she explained  
softly. "I don't want the traditional instruments played  
though. That's just cultural nonsense."  
  
"Traditional instruments," said Will in a puzzled tone.  
  
"Don't worry about it." began Laren. "The delivery will be  
really different from human deliveries. If you change your  
mind about being in the delivery room with me I'll  
understand." she said, taking his hand in hers.  
  
He squeezed her hand gently. "I'll be there. I'm going to  
stand by you through all of this."  
  
Their eyes met and they gave each other deep  
understanding looks. After several moments, Laren  
loosened her hold on Will's hand, and he released her hand  
as well. Both were aware that their relationship seemed to  
be on the brink of a major change.  
  
"I think it's almost lunch time," said Will in a quiet voice.  
  
"Yes, it is." said Laren. "Dr.. Crusher says if I continue to  
do well, later on she'll let me try a week without the  
diet."  
  
"That's great, Laren." said Will with a big smile. "Before  
we know it, our son will be born. He'll be strong and  
healthy too, thanks to the Doctor and to you."  
  
Laren smiled, "To keep it up, I'd better get my lunch." She  
walked over to the food replicator and said, "Computer,  
please prepare a lunch from the prescribed diet for Ensign  
Ro Laren." A few seconds later, a tray with a plate of meat,  
vegetables, fruit, yogurt, a roll, and milk materialized. She  
took it to the table and sat down.  
  
"Would you care for some company, Laren?" Will asked.  
They usually ate together, but he wanted to give her a  
choice.  
  
"Why not? Go to the replicator and get some lunch."  
  
Will walked over to the replicator and ordered up his lunch.  
When the tray of food materialized, he picked it up and  
carried it to the table. "You didn't have to wait for me to  
start eating Laren." he said.  
  
"It's okay. I didn't mind." She began to eat. Will was glad  
to see she had regained her appetite. She seemed to be  
enjoying her meal.  
  
Laren looked at Will shyly, "Dr.. Crusher says that by next  
month we should be able to feel the baby move by touching  
my stomach. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell you or  
surprise you, but you should get something to anticipate  
and look forward to since I can already feel the baby and  
you can't."  
  
"I can't wait." beamed Will. "That's going to be so  
incredible to experience." They both looked at the crib by  
Laren's bed. Soon their son would be born and sleep there.  
He was really looking forward to feeling the baby move  
inside Laren, and to holding him once he was born.  
  
At the end of lunch, Will rose and took both trays back to  
the replicator slot. He slid them inside and punched the  
recycle button. He walked back to the table where Laren  
sat.  
  
"I enjoyed having lunch with you." he said tenderly.  
  
Laren smiled up at him with warmth. "I enjoyed having  
lunch with you too." she said softly.  
  
Will took her hands in his for a brief moment, then quickly  
bent down and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you at  
dinner time," he said.  
  
As he walked out, Laren's surprised eyes followed him,  
wondering if she were ready for the change they'd both  
sensed earlier. Her hand reached up involuntarily to touch  
the spot he had kissed.Part of her was ready, but another  
part thought about their working relationship. It was rocky  
at its best. How could a romantic relationship ever survive  
that kind of turmoil?  
  
Title: Unexpected Outcomes  
Author: Ronda Sexton  
Series: TNG-AU  
Code: Riker/Ro  
Part: 5/?  
Rating: PG13  
  
A few weeks later at her checkup, she and Will waited  
patiently for the doctor to come in. As they waited, Will  
remembered back to the day Laren had told him that the  
baby's kicks could now be felt on the outside of her  
stomach. He had asked her if the baby was kicking now.  
For an answer, she had taken his hand and placed it over  
her swollen stomach. Then he felt a series of strong lively  
kicks. This was his child. A part of him. They had sat  
together on the couch as he felt the baby kick. Since that  
first evening, there had been many such evenings, sitting  
together one arm around Laren, the other on her stomach  
feeling their son.  
  
Kisses were also more frequent now too. Before he left her  
each night, he gave her a gentle kiss. The kisses had  
progressed from her cheek to tender kisses on her soft lips.  
Laren had begun to respond, kissing him back the second  
time he kissed her lips.......He came back to the present  
when Laren groaned softly and held her stomach.  
  
"I wish he wouldn't kick so hard." sighed Laren. She  
rubbed her stomach with both hands.  
  
"He's definitely going to be a strong the way he kicks." said  
Will. At that moment, Dr. Crusher came in.  
  
"Hello, Laren and Will, sorry I'm a little late. There was  
an injury from the Cliffs of Heaven diving program again.  
Let's see how you're doing."  
  
Dr. Crusher picked up a Medical Tricorder and began  
scanning. "Looks great, Laren. The baby's growing well.  
I'll put the image on the monitor."  
  
The image flashed up on the screen. He was kicking and  
moving in a lively fashion.  
  
"He's certainly lively." said Will. He'll be an athlete for  
sure.  
  
"Laren, the baby's growth rate has improve tremendously It  
looks as if you're going to have a big baby. I also see that  
you've been eating all the food in your prescribed diet. So  
I'm going to let you try a week without the diet and see  
what happens. If everything continues to go as well as it's  
going now, I don't see any reason to put you back on a  
prescribed diet. Do you have any questions?"  
  
"Yes, can you begin to estimate a delivery date yet? At the  
beginning you said I'd probably go six to eight months.  
This is five and half months, and I was hoping you might  
know something by now."  
  
"Well, judging by the baby's size, comparing it to Human  
and Bajoran fetal growth scales, I'd say you'll deliver at  
approximately seven months." she stated.  
  
"You mean she may have the baby in one and a half  
months?" asked Will.  
  
"Probably so," began the Doctor. "But the baby could take  
longer to develop completely. If he does come too early,  
we can always use our neonatal equipment to care for him.  
If Laren does go into to labor, then we can always induce  
labor." explained Dr. Crusher. "Anymore questions?"  
  
"How big do you think the baby will be?" asked Laren.  
  
"He'll weigh well over nine pounds if he continues to grow.  
If he gets too big, we may have to do a C-section."  
  
Will looked at her with concern. "Isn't that dangerous for  
both of them?"  
  
"Not as dangerous as Laren trying to deliver a baby that is  
too big for her body." answered Dr. Crusher patiently. "Do  
either of you have anymore questions?"  
  
Laren nodded. "I've begun to experience pain from my  
lower back down into my thighs. It's not constant, but  
when the pains occur, they are very intense."  
  
"He is very close to your cyatic nerve. The pain is caused  
by him settling on the nerve endings. He could end up  
settling there and putting pressure on the nerve for days."  
She frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can  
give you for the pain that won't hurt the baby."  
  
"Well what about blocking her pain receptors with a neural  
transmitter?" asked Will.  
  
"We can't do that, we have to know exactly what's she's  
feeling, or she could go into labor and not know it,"  
explained Dr. Crusher. "The things she can do to help  
alleviate the pain are use heat therapy and massage therapy  
on the affected areas."  
  
"Can you show me how to do the massage therapy?" asked  
Will. He wanted to do whatever he could to help ease the  
pain she felt.  
  
"If both of you can come by after your duty shift, then I'll  
show you what to do," offered Dr. Crusher.  
  
Will glanced at Laren, and she nodded. "We'll be here," he  
said to Dr. Crusher.  
  
She looked at him with a grateful expression. "Thank you,  
Will, I sure that using heat and massage will help ease the  
pain considerably."  
  
"I'll do anything to help you, Laren. You should know that  
by now," whispered Will gently.  
  
Dr. Crusher smiled. "Do you two have any more  
questions?"  
  
"I do," said Will. "What can I do to help her get ready for  
delivery?"  
  
"Help her with relaxation exercises. Those are very  
important. If she can't relax enough to deliver naturally,  
I'll have to take the baby, and I don't want to do a C-section  
unless I have to. Do either of you have any more  
questions?"  
  
Laren looked at Will, who shook his head, and then said,  
"No, not right now."  
  
All right, then you two can go. I'll take your prescribed diet  
off the computer so you'll be able to choose your own  
meals."  
  
They walked out of Sickbay together. Laren shook her  
head with a smile. "Six weeks more, and the baby could be  
here, I can't believe it." Her hands traced the curve of her  
stomach. "I'm ready for this pregnancy to be over."  
  
"I'm ready for a different reason," began Will. "I want to  
hold my son in my arms." He placed an arm around her  
shoulders. "His mother too."  
  
Laren blushed. Will had never been openly affectionate in  
public. He noticed her embarrassment and removed his  
arm. They continued down the corridor slowly. Will  
glanced at her, and was pleased to see she was not angry. It  
must have been that she was just unaccustomed to public  
displays of affection.  
  
"We should get some supper. We need to be on the  
holodeck in an hour." said Will with a smile, hoping she  
would like his surprise.  
  
"The Holo Deck," began Laren. "What are we going to do  
on the holodeck?"  
  
"That's a surprise. It should also help reduce your stress  
levels. I've planned something really special for us." said  
Will with a smile. The program he had chosen was going  
to be great. They needed the time alone together in a  
setting other than in each other's quarters.  
  
For now, he led her to Ten Forward for a meal. They  
walked over to the food replicators and ordered dinners.  
He smiled when he saw the meal she had chosen. It was a  
combination of Human and Bajoran foods. It looked quite  
appetizing. As they looked for a table, Deanna and Worf  
signaled them to come to their table.  
  
"Hello, Will. Hello, Laren." said Deanna with a smile.  
They sat at the table with them.  
"Commander, Ensign," began Worf. "How was the exam?  
Is the child well?" Since Will and Laren had asked them to  
be the child's Godparents along with Guinan and the  
Captain, Worf had taken the honor very seriously, and  
always asked about their child.  
  
"He's just fine. In fact, Dr. Crusher thinks he may be born  
as soon as six weeks from now. She also thinks he's going  
to be a big baby." said Will with a smile. He reached over  
and placed his hand over Laren's. "Before long, we'll be  
parents."  
  
"That's wonderful." said Deanna. "Worf and I are very  
honored you have asked us to be Godparents."  
  
The meal continued with light conversation about the baby.  
When they had finished, Will stood with a smile. "You'll  
have to excuse us, but we're due on the holodeck."  
  
He took Laren's tray and carried them both to the replicator.  
She followed him, filled with curiosity. She had no idea  
what he had planned. They walked down the corridor from  
Ten Forward to the holodeck.  
  
"Come on, Will, tell me what you're up to," asked Laren.  
  
"Sorry, it's a surprise. You'll see when we go in," said Will  
mysteriously.  
  
At the entrance to the Holo Deck, he paused and said,  
"Computer, holodeck program Riker-Six." The doors slid  
open to reveal the Alaskan countryside.  
  
There nestled in the mountains was a small cabin. Smoke  
drifted lazily from the chimney. The ground was covered  
with snow. Will looked at her with an excited face.  
  
"Well, what do you think?" His eyes sparkled with  
anticipation. This was his favorite place from back home.  
High up in the mountains of Alaska, in wild untamed  
woods.  
She smiled at him. "It's beautiful. Where are we?"  
  
"It's a little cabin up in the mountains of Alaska. I spent a  
lot of my leave here when I was in the Academy." He led  
the way to the cabin. He opened the door. Inside, it looked  
much like a 20th century dwelling. Will was beaming with  
pride as he led her inside. "This house has been in my  
family for 300 years. We've made every effort to keep it  
the same as it looked when my family originally got it. It's  
even listed as a historic landmark. The only modern  
conveniences are the com system and a food replicator."  
  
He pointed to a bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. "That  
bear was killed by one of my ancestors. He saved a family  
on a picnic when the bear attacked.  
"It's all very nice, Will." said Laren as she looked around at  
all the old stylefurnishings.  
  
Will walked over to a closet and pulled out a set of cold  
weather gear. He handed it to her. "Put this on." he said.  
"We're going to take a little walk in the snow."  
  
She took them and began putting them on as he pulled out  
his gear. A totally evil thought crossed her mind. Pelting  
Will with snow balls would be fun. She thoughtback to the  
snowball fight she'd been in during her academy days.  
  
Will turned and looked at her. "Well, lets go." He took her  
hand and led her to the door. Once they were outside, she  
scooped up a handful of snow and darted away from him as  
she formed it into a firm ball. Mischief danced in her eyes  
as she rolled it in her hands. Will stared at her in surprise.  
He'd not expected this. She threw the snowball, scoring a  
direct hit on his shoulder.  
  
Then, the snowball fight was on. They both began to pelt  
each other with snowballs. It was good to see her relaxed  
and having so much fun. Suddenly, just as he threw a  
snowball, she turned and it hit her swollen stomach. She  
let out a breath and put her hand to her stomach. He was at  
her side in an instant.  
  
"Oh,, Laren, I'm sorry! Maybe we'd better get you to sick  
bay and make sure the baby is okay." said Will in a  
concerned voice.  
  
She laughed merrily, "It's okay, Will. Pregnant women are  
more sturdy than you think. It just startled us, that's all. He  
jumped hard, but he's okay."  
  
"Are you sure? asked Will.  
  
I'm positive,, lets go on that walk you suggested." She held  
out her gloved hand to him. He took it and used it to pull  
her close.  
  
"That's a great suggestion." said Will. Then he slipped his  
arm around her waist. They walked slowly through the  
woods. A light snow was falling. His arm was holding her  
close to his side, and it felt so good. Slowly, she slipped  
her arm around him. He smiled down at her warmly.  
"That feels good." He tightened his arm for a moment in a  
quick hug.  
  
They walked on. Laren gazed in wonder at the beauty  
around her. Even the hydroponics gardens didn't compare  
to this. "This is a lovely place. You must have enjoyed it  
as a child. The resettlement camps where I grew up were a  
nightmare. Not enough food, clothing, or shelter. It was  
really bad." said Laren.  
  
"Well, that's over now. You're here on the Enterprise, and  
you have a good life now." said Will as he gave her a  
comforting squeeze. "Life here wasn't always easy either.  
My mother died when I was two years old, then my father  
abandoned me when I was fifteen. I made it in spite of  
that. You've made it through incredible hardships too. It  
shows your strength."  
  
He stopped at a railing, overlooking the sheer drop off.  
The valley belowthem glistened with snow. "Now, this is  
my idea of Heaven." sighed Will. "Nature in all its beauty.  
Iuse this program when I get homesick for earth."  
  
"It's lovely." said Laren with a smile.  
  
Will gazed affectionately at her. He used his other arm to  
pull her into an embrace. She gazed up at him expectantly.  
He bent his head and gave her a long, tender kiss, pulling  
her closer as she responded. Finally, he pulled back and  
smiled led down at her. She seemed so calm and relaxed.  
The tension everyone usually saw in her seemed to have  
faded away.  
  
"I think we'd better head back for the cabin. I don't want  
you to get too cold."  
  
Keeping an arm around each other, they walked back down  
to the cabin. Once they were inside, he helped her out of  
her parka.  
  
"Laren, sit on the couch, and I'll get us some hot cider. It'll  
warm us up fast."  
  
She walked over and sat on the couch rubbing her stomach.  
"He's kicking again. He's certainly lively." She thought as  
she watched Will coming over to the couch with two cups  
of steaming cider. They hadn't discussed a name for the  
baby yet. It seemed like now would be a good time. They  
were both in a pleasant mood. Will sat on the couch beside  
her and handed her a mug. He put an arm around her  
shoulders and took a sip of his cider. He noticed Laren  
wasdeep in thought.  
  
"A penny for your thoughts, Laren." he said softly. His arm  
tightened around her pulling her close to his side.  
  
"I was just thinking, we haven't discussed a name for our  
son. It won't be long before he's born. We need to decide  
on a name."  
  
"Do you have any Bajoran names in mind?" asked Will  
softly.  
  
"Well, I like the name Raulsta. I also want him to have  
your surname."  
  
He pulled her into an embrace, feeling the baby's kicks  
against his stomach. "Laren, I wouldn't have it any other  
way. I want him to have my name." He released her with a  
smile. "How about Riker Raulsta William for his name. It  
would be both human and Bajoran."  
  
"I think that sounds fine. Adding William to Raulsta is a  
good idea. My father's name was Raulsta, and your name is  
William. Both sides of our son's heritage will be  
represented." She leaned her head against his broad  
shoulder. It was good to have the name chosen. Trusting  
Will had not come easily, but more and more she was  
finding that she did trust him. His tender treatment of her  
since she told him she was pregnant had drawn her very  
close to him. She even found herself adhering to Starfleet  
protocols closer than ever before. She did it, because she  
found herself wanting to please him. She felt more at  
peace with herself right now than she had in along time.  
  
He cupped her face with his hand, and turned it to tenderly  
kiss her. Her lips were soft and warm against his. He slid  
his hand from her cheek to her neck, then across her  
shoulder and down her back to pull her into a closer  
embrace as he kissed her. Laren felt Will's tongue brush  
against her lips. She yielded to his searching, and felt his  
tongue touch hers. It felt so good. One of her hands  
moved behind his head, while the other slipped around him  
to hold him close. After a long,lingering kiss, they pulled  
back, staring into each others eyes. The intensity of  
themoment left them both breathless. It was by far the  
most passionate, intimate kiss they had shared since her  
pregnancy had drawn them together.  
  
Finally, Laren lowered her head, leaning it against Will's  
chest. It felt so good to be treated with love. She was no  
longer a love-starved child in the resettlement camp, but it  
had been a long time since she had felt such acceptance  
and love from a man.  
  
Will continued to hold her, pressing his cheek to her hair.  
He realized that his feelings for Laren had become deeper  
than he ever thought possible. The time they had been  
spending together since she told him about the baby had  
truly bonded them together. He was determined that his  
child would never suffer the pain of abandonment that his  
father had caused him. He would also never suffer the  
harsh life that his mother had in the Bajoran resettlement  
camps.  
  
He grew concerned at her silence. "Laren," he began softly.  
"Are you okay?"  
  
She nodded quietly, keeping her head buried against his  
chest. Sensing that she needed to be held, he kept his arms  
around her, holding her close and stroking her back. A  
fierce sense of possession and love stirred up inside him.  
They sat there each others arms until their time in the  
holodeck was over.  
  
  
********  
  
  
Laren was in the sixth month of pregnancy. Dr. Crusher  
said she could have the baby anytime. Laren continued to  
man her Bridge Station, wanting to work rather than be  
idle. Dr. Crusher saw no reason why she shouldn't work  
either. She and the baby were doing fine. Will had been  
concerned about her working, and they had almost gotten  
into a fight over it. She finally called Dr. Crusher to  
explain to Will that working would not hurt her, and the  
activity was beneficial to her. It would help keep her stress  
levels down. The massages he gave her helped too. Even  
though the baby had dropped and shifted position so that  
she no longer had the severe back pain, he continued to  
give her massages. After talking with Dr. Crusher, Will  
apologized to Laren. His making up kiss, as he called it  
had been so intensely passionate that it had left her  
breathless. She just wished her labor would start. She was  
tired of being pregnant. Dr. Crusher had told her she would  
probably start labor within the next two weeks. She hoped  
that the Doctor was right. She was tired of sneezing fits,  
and she was tired of waddling where ever she went.  
  
One and a half weeks later, she was still waiting. She was  
at her station on the bridge. Suddenly she felt a strange  
sensation starting in her lower back andspreading to her  
stomach. She knew from the descriptions of labor, that it  
was time for her to give birth to her son. She turned to the  
Captain. "Sir, I think I should go to sickbay." Will was up  
and at her side in an instant.  
  
"Is the baby on the way?" he asked.  
  
"I think so. I can feel it." she answered. Her voice was  
tinged with nervousness and excitement.  
  
"Picard to sickbay."  
  
"Sickbay, Dr. Crusher here. What is it Captain?"  
  
Ensign Ro is in labor. We're sending her right down."  
  
"Acknowledged, Captain. We'll be ready. Crusher out."  
  
The Captain smiled warmly at both of them. "The two of  
you go on to sickbay." He gave Laren a gentle pat on her  
swollen stomach. "Don't worry Laren, you'll do just fine.  
I'll be down after you deliver."  
  
As the turbo lift descended, Will wrapped his arms around  
her in a comforting embrace. He felt her trembling.  
  
"Hey, you'll do fine. I'll be by your side the whole time.  
Try not to worry. Relax, Laren. Breathe deeply and  
slowly." She buried her face against his broad chest,  
accepting his comfort. Slowly, her trembling stopped.  
The turbo lift slowed and as he released her, the doors slid  
open. They walked to the doors to Sickbay. As they slid  
open, Dr. Crusher was there waiting for them.  
  
"Let's get you to the maternity ward." said the Doctor  
briskly. She led the way. Once inside the ward, a nurse  
helped Laren change into a sickbay gown. Will stood by  
waiting patiently while the nurse got her settled in the  
birthing chair. It was already setinto the delivery mode.  
  
"Now remember, Laren. You have to stay relaxed. Will,  
do you remember what I told you?" asked Dr. Crusher.  
  
Will nodded and began to gently massage Laren's legs. She  
leaned against the backrest. Will could tell she was still  
tense. He walked up to the back of the birthing chair and  
began to massage her shoulders.  
  
"Easy, Laren, easy. Breathe deeply, you're going to be  
fine." Will looked up at the monitors. So far the endorphin  
levels looked normal. She still seemed so tense. He leaned  
down near her ear.  
  
"Laren, what can I do to help?" he whispered.  
  
"Just stay here with me, Will. I just need you here with  
me," she said in a strained voice.  
  
Dr. Crusher looked up at the monitors. "Laren, use one of  
your relaxation exercises I taught you. Will, help her, talk  
her through it. The stress level indicator readings are  
rising. If we can't get it down, and the endorphin levels get  
too high, it will stop her labor.  
  
Laren closed her eyes and concentrated on the snowy  
Alaskan woods she and Will had explored in the Holo  
Deck.  
  
Will began softly talking her through a walk in the snowy  
winter woods. As he guided her through the exercise, the  
stress indicators began to drop dramatically. Her endorphin  
production also began to slow. Will wondered about the  
fates of nature that gave Bajoran women pleasure inducing  
endorphins to make the delivery of a child painless, but  
could easily rise to toxic levels if the mother became too  
stressed or tense.  
  
At the end of the exercise, Laren seemed much calmer.  
But, within a few minutes, the endorphin levels began to  
rise rapidly again. Dr. Crusher frowned. Laren had told  
her that her mother had suffered similar problems in  
childbirth. The levels were running close to toxic levels  
again. As long as labor progressed and neither she or the  
baby showed any signs of distress, she would let the birth  
go on naturally. However, she was fully prepared to do a  
C-section if she had to. She saw Will looking at the  
endorphin reading with concern. The board was behind  
Laren where she couldn't see it. The doctor shot Will a look  
that said for him to be quiet about the level of endorphins,  
knowing would only stress Laren even more. For the time  
being, her labor was progressing.  
  
"I can feel the baby moving further down." she sighed.  
The endorphins being released by her body kept her from  
feeling any pain. However with current levels, she might  
have to spend more than the usual three days in sickbay.  
Dr. Crusher looked at the readings. Hopefully the labor  
would not stop now. The baby was halfway into the birth  
canal. Soon it would be over. Normally it took about an  
hour for a Bajoran woman to give birth, but over the years  
Beverly had learned that wasn't always the rule. Laren  
seemed to be staying calm. Will was standing behind her  
and gently rubbing her neck and shoulders whispering  
encouragement in her ears.  
  
"Laren, Will, it shouldn't be much longer now," said Dr.  
Crusher  
  
Laren sighed, "It's about time. I'm sick of being in labor."  
  
Will looked at her, "You've done great!! I know I couldn't  
go through this and stay calm and relaxed."  
  
"I can feel him moving further down." said Laren in a  
voice of wonder. She was so caught up in the miracle of  
birth that she forget about being frightened.  
  
"The head should be presenting any moment now. Will if  
you want to see your son being born, you need to move  
down here with me right now," said Dr. Crusher with a  
smile.  
  
Laren looked at Will. This was it, the moment they'd been  
waiting for. "Go on, Will, I'm fine now. I want you to see  
Raulsta being born."  
  
He bent down and gave her a quick kiss.  
  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said as he walked to  
stand by the doctor. As he watched in wonder, he saw a  
head of dark hair begin to emerge. Before his eyes, the  
miracle of birth played itself out.  
  
After the baby emerged, Dr. Crusher thumped the baby's  
feet. He drew a deep breath and let out a lusty cry. As  
Will walked back to the head of the birthing chair, Dr.  
Crusher held him up so Laren and Will could get a good  
look at their son.  
  
Dr. Crusher smiled at both of them. "Let me get him  
cleaned up, thenyou can hold him." She turned to the nurse  
who was assisting her. "After the placenta is delivered,  
clean her up and take the unit out of delivery mode."  
  
Soon, Laren had their son in her arms. Will sat next to the  
bed watching their son nurse at Laren's breast. The rich  
colostrum would make him healthy and strong. There had  
never been a doubt in Laren's mind about nursing the baby.  
Will was pleased she had chosen to do so. There was still  
no better way to nourish a baby.  
  
The doors slid open, and Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard  
both walked in. He shook his head as Will started to stand,  
and waved him back to the chair. "As you were, Will." he  
said. He walked over to the bedside. "Congratulations to  
both of you. Dr. Crusher tells me you have a perfect, healthy  
son."  
  
Laren gave the Captain a weary smile. "Thank you, sir."  
  
Will looked up, "Seeing him born was the most incredible  
experience ofmy life. Laren did a great job."  
  
"I'll leave you three alone now. Will, you're off duty for the  
next seventy-two hours. You both need to spend time  
bonding with your child."  
  
"Thank you, sir." said Will quietly.  
  
The Captain left the room.  
  
Dr. Crusher came to the bedside. "I told his Godparents  
they could visit after you three have had a chance to rest. If  
the next seventy-two hours go well, you and the baby will  
be released from sickbay."  
  
"But Dr. Crusher," began Laren in protest.  
  
"Laren, you know the regulations as well as I do. Mothers  
giving birth inany Starfleet facility are kept in medical care  
for a minimum of seventy-two hours.  
  
Besides, your endorphin levels were 12.475 from being at  
a toxic level. You would have to stay anyway, so we can  
monitor you. You may have to stay longer depending on  
how quickly your endorphin levels return to normal. It  
won't interfere with you nursing your baby, but it can still  
hurt you. Your Bajoran physiology keeps the endorphins  
out of your breast milk."  
  
"I know, but I'd be a lot more comfortable in my own  
quarters."  
  
"Laren, there are other good reasons for mothers and  
newborns to be under medical care for at least seventy-two  
hours. Sometimes problems don't always show up right  
away."  
  
Will became concerned. "Do you expect any problems  
with Laren or Raulsta?"  
  
"No, but the regulations are there for precautionary  
measures." She looked down at Raulsta, who had stopped  
nursing and fallen asleep. "Let me take him to the nursery  
so you can get some rest. We'll bring him to you when he's  
ready to nurse again. Will you can either stay here with  
Laren and sleep in the Father's Bed here, or you can go  
back to your quarters. Whichever you choose, you need to  
get some sleep."  
  
"I'll stay here with Laren." he said softly, laying a hand on  
her shoulder.She smiled up at him, glad he was willing to  
stay with her.  
  
Dr. Crusher carefully picked up Raulsta, so not to waken  
him and carried him to the nursery.  
  
Laren closed the nursing vent on her gown. I'm so sleepy."  
she murmured. She looked up at Will. "Thank you for  
staying with us."  
  
He bent down and kissed her tenderly. Then he began  
adjusting hercovers to make her more comfortable. "Sleep  
now, Laren. You need to rest, and there's no telling when  
Raulsta will be ready to nurse again."  
  
She closed her eyes and was asleep in seconds. Will went  
over to the Father's Bed that was provided in each  
maternity room. He lay down and was soon asleep.  
  
A few hours later, Laren felt someone give her shoulder a  
gentle shake. A nurse was standing there with Raulsta.  
"He's ready to nurse again." shewhispered softly. She  
helped Laren and the baby get positioned for nursing. Will  
stirred over on the Father's Bed. He rolled over and saw  
that Laren was nursing Raulsta. Smiling he walked over to  
her bedside. Raulsta was nursing hungrily.The nurse left,  
giving Will and Laren privacy.  
  
"He certainly has an appetite," said Laren with a wince.  
"He sucks really hard."  
  
Will chuckled, "Well, at least he's healthy." He sat in a  
chair by the bedand reached out to softly stroke the tiny  
head with his fingers. "Two point four kilograms." he said  
with a sigh. "He's so tiny and fragile."  
  
"Well, if he keeps eating like this, he won't be tiny very  
long." said Laren.She stared down at their son. He looked  
so much like Will. They both watched as he continued to  
nurse.  
  
"This is the best food for him. I'm going to breast feed him  
for a year.Of course, when I go back to work, I'll have to  
use a breast pump to fill bottles for the child care center.  
  
"I'm really glad you're breast feeding him." began Will.  
Breast fed babies are always the healthiest." He reached  
over and gave her shoulder a squeeze.  
  
The door chime sounded. "Come," said Will. The door  
slid open andWorf, Deanna, and Guinan walked in.  
  
"Oh, Laren," breathed Deanna. "He's beautiful."  
  
"He certainly resembles Commander Riker," remarked  
Worf as he looked at the baby.  
  
"There's nothing more wonderful than a newborn baby."  
said Guinan.  
  
Raulsta had slowed his nursing, beginning to doze off to  
sleep as henursed. When he was fully asleep, she pulled  
her breast from his mouth.  
  
"Guinan," she whispered. "Can you put him in the crib."  
  
"Yes, I'll be glad to." She gently lifted the baby in her arms  
and placed him in his crib. The rest of the visit was spent  
in small talk.  
  
  
  
********  
  
  
  
When the seventy-two hours were finally up, Laren was  
glad to be back in her own quarters. Raulsta was asleep in  
his, and she was resting in bed. The stress of the delivery  
had really taken a toll on her strength. She was still tiring  
easily. The toxins from the endorphins caused her muscles  
to ache. While Bajoran physiology could keep endorphin  
toxins out of her breast milk it could not filter out pain  
medications. There was nothing that could be done, except  
for massaging the sore muscles and using thermal heat  
packs. The worst pain was in her back. The muscles had  
already been irritated earlier in the pregnancy by the baby's  
position. Now the build up of toxins made the muscle pain  
even worse.  
  
Taking care of a newborn was hard. If it weren't for Will's  
help and support, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to make it.  
He had been so good to her. In the seventy-two hours she  
and Raulsta had been confined to sickbay, he'd been with  
her every minute. It was all the little things he's done.  
Helping her in and out of bed while she was still weak,  
giving her back rubs to ease the sore muscles caused by the  
near toxic levels of endorphins in her system, and changing  
diapers. He was taking his role as father very seriously. In  
fact, she expected him at any minute. He was going to  
have lunch with her and see if she needed anything.  
  
The door chime sounded. "Come," she said. as she sat up  
in bed. The door slid open, and Will, seeing her in bed,  
came immediately to her side.  
  
"Hello, Laren, how do you feel?" asked Will with  
concern.  
  
"I'm doing better. I just needed a little rest." She began to  
get out of bed,and Will took her arm to help her up. He  
held out her robe and helped her slip it overher arms.  
  
"Thank you, Will, I still just don't seem to have my back in  
shape yet. I've been doing those exercises Dr. Crusher told  
me to. She said it would take time."  
  
"Let me help you over to the table," He whispered so he  
wouldn't wake up Raulsta. He took her hand and also slid  
his arm around her waist, giving her support as she  
walked. He eased her into a chair, then went to the  
replicator. "Now, do you have any special requests, or  
shall I surprise you?"  
  
Laren smiled, "I'll let you surprise me." She hoped she  
wouldn't be sorry. Some of Will's surprises were a little  
bizarre at times. However, this time was not one of those  
times. Will set a steaming bowl of stew in front of her.  
  
"This looks delicious, Will. Thank you." She picked up  
her spoon and dipped it into the soup and lifted it to her  
mouth. "Mmmm tastes good too."  
  
"I'm glad you like it. How's Raulsta been this morning?"  
His eyes shoneat the mention of their child.  
  
"He was up at 0600 to nurse, then he was up again at 1000  
hours to nurse again. He's still nursing really well."  
  
"That's good. He's a very important part of my life." He  
looked directly into her eyes. "So are you, Laren."  
  
Laren smiled, You're both very important to me too."  
  
It didn't take long to finish lunch. Will quickly cleared the  
dishes away.  
"Laren, I don't need to be on the bridge for another thirty  
minutes, would you like a backrub ?"  
She nodded gratefully. "That would be wonderful. I can't  
believe I'm still sore." She pushed back her chair and he  
helped to her feet. They walked to the sleeping area. She  
slid out of her robe and removed her pajama top. She  
eased herself onto the bed and lay face down. Will took  
the lotion from the night stand and squeezed some into his  
hand. He rubbed his hands together, and then began to  
smooth the lotion on her back. He rubbed firmly,  
massaging deep into the sore muscles.  
  
Laren sighed, "That feels so good." She closed her eyes  
and relaxed.The touch of Will's hands was soothing and  
eased the aching muscles in her back.  
  
"I'm glad you like it." he whispered softly as he continued  
to massage her back. He thought about how much he cared  
for Laren. He wanted her. Not just in a sexual way, he  
wanted to marry her. He wanted them to be a real family.  
Raulsta deserved a complete family. He did not want him  
growing up with a split family. He planned to bide his  
time, and let her recover from the birth of their son. Then  
he would ask her to marry him. They would be a family.  
His child would never have a childhood like his with only  
one parent living with him, and he would never, never  
abandon hisson as his father had him.  
  
Will realized it was time for him to return to the bridge.  
He pulled the covers up over her, and leaned down near her  
ear. "Laren, I have to go back to the bridge now." He  
moved to kiss her, and she raised her head to meet his lips.  
The kiss was incredibly sweet and tender. Laren put her  
hand on his cheek as his tongue sought hers.  
  
After a few moments, Will pulled back. "I'll be back at the  
end of shift, Laren," he whispered. He quietly walked out  
of her quarters.  
  
Laren turned to her side and reached for her pajama top.  
She slipped it back on. Raulsta was still asleep, but he  
would be up soon. She lay back down and pulled the  
covers back up. She thought about Will. They had gotten  
so close. She let her mind float back to the brief affair they  
had during the Sattarran incident. She'd never had such a  
wonderful exciting lover before. Even today, as he  
massaged her back, the touch of his hands had stirred  
memories of passionate caresses. She longed for those  
touches again.  
  
********  
  
  
Before she knew it, her nine week maternity leave was  
over. Today was the first day she had to leave Raulsta in  
the child care center. She checked his bag carefully.  
Everything was there. She held Raulsta close and waited  
for Will. He knew how hard it was going to be for her to  
leave Raulsta, and had promised to go with her to take him  
to the center. The past nine weeks had been wonderful.  
Will, Raulsta and she had spent quite a bit of time together.  
Usually, when Raulsta was down for the evening, they  
would sit on the couch and talk and cuddle. Laren knew  
there would soon come a night when she would have to  
decide whether or not to let Will make love to her. Their  
cuddling had become much more than cuddling. Last night,  
Will had slid his hands under her shirt to caress her breasts.  
She hadn't tried to stop him, and the caresses had felt so  
good.......  
  
She was jolted out of her thoughts by the door chime.  
  
"Come," she said.  
  
Will walked in and she stood to greet him. He looked at  
the baby in her arms, and then pulled her into his arms to  
kiss her. He kissed her deeply, enjoying the way she  
responded to him.  
  
He finally pulled back and said, "We'd better go, it wouldn't  
do foryou to be late your first day back to work."  
  
He picked up bag and they walked out. Inside the lift Will  
noticed that Laren was very quiet and said, "Laren, I know  
this is hard for you. He'll be okay. I promise." He put his  
arms around her to comfort her.  
  
The lift doors slid open and they walked the short distance  
to the child care facility. Laren signed Raulsta in and left  
slowly. Will followed her to the turbo lift. After the  
doors closed, he took her in his arms.  
  
"I know he'll be fine," she whispered. "It's just so hard to  
leave him after spending nine weeks having him with me  
all the time."  
  
"It will get easier as days go by. The first day is always the  
hardest," whispered Will in a comforting tone.  
  
The lift began to slow and they pulled apart just before it  
stopped and the doors opened. The both walked onto the  
bridge.  
The Captain smiled at her and stood up. Welcome back,  
Ensign." He shook her hand warmly.  
  
"It's good to be back, sir." she said simply. She took her  
position at the con station. She knew it would be a boring  
day. Star charting always was.  
  
Finally, her shift was over. She and Will went together to  
get Raulsta. As soon as she had him in her arms she felt  
much better. Will took his bag and they both headed to her  
quarters. Raulsta seemed to be hungry, so she hurried to  
change into casual clothes to nurse him.  
  
Soon they were sitting on the couch. Raulsta was eagerly  
nursing. Will sat close beside them, his arm around Laren  
as she nursed the baby. He looked at Laren's breast. His  
mind wandered back to their brief affair that had resulted  
in Raulsta being conceived. He remembered kissing and  
caressing her breasts.  
  
He recalled how eagerly she had responded to his love  
making. He wanted her....He wanted to make love to her  
again. He thought of the evenings they'd spent here in her  
quarters since Raulsta's birth. How they had sat on the  
couch kissing, and how last night she'd allowed him to  
touch her breasts. It had been a natural progression, their  
kisses had become so intense, that he had wanted more.  
She had responded eagerly to that touch, kissing him more  
passionately and pressing against his exploring hands.  
  
He was brought back to the present as Laren pulled her  
nipple out ofRaulsta's mouth. He was sound asleep. She  
fastened her bra and pulled her shirt down. While Will  
carried him to his crib, she went to the food replicator to  
order supper for both of them. He joined her as she set the  
tray on the table. It was a mixture of human and Bajoran  
foods they both enjoyed. They began eating.  
  
"This mission has to be the most boring one I've ever been  
on," said Laren.  
  
"For us, yes," began Will. "But Stellar Cartography is  
having a ball."  
  
"At least it was an easy day. Since I had to leave Raulsta  
for the first time." She looked over to the crib where he  
slept. "I missed being with him."  
  
Will reached out and took her hand. "I know you did. It  
will get easier asyou get back into your routine.  
  
They finished the meal quietly. Will gave her a smile.  
"You got the food,so I'll clean up." He gathered up the  
dishes and took them back to the replicator.  
  
While he cleaned up, she went to check on Raulsta. He  
was sleeping peacefully, so she went to sit on the couch.  
Will joined her, sitting close and putting his arm around  
her. He drew her close, and she put her head on his  
shoulder. They sat there awhile enjoying being alone with  
each other.  
After a bit, Will bent his head down and gently kissed her.  
She shifted her body to return the kiss more fully. She felt  
his strong muscular arms pull her close. His lips brushed  
across her cheek, and he began kissing her neck. She  
moved one hand to stroke his silky beard as his lips  
traveled from her neck back to her lips. His tongue  
prodded her lips playfully. She parted them and felt his  
tongue brush against hers. Fires of passion coursed through  
her body. She felt one of his hands fingering the hem of  
her shirt. She kissed him harder as his hand slid under the  
front of her shirt. His other hand began sliding up the back  
of her shirt. Soon, she felt them unfastening her bra. He  
moved one hand to caress her breasts, and the other pulled  
her closer. She was awash in desire. One of her hands  
found it's way under his shirt, and began to caress his chest.  
He moaned softly and his hand slid from under her shirt  
and came to rest on her knee. She felt the warmth of his  
hand through her hose. It begin gliding up her thigh. As it  
slid under her skirt, she realized they were reaching a point  
of no return. She didn't care. She wanted this, and sensed  
that Will did too. They had both known for some time that  
this was going to happen. His hand come to rest on her hip.  
Pulling her closer with his free hand, he slipped his hand  
into the elastic waistband of her panties. He began to  
massage and caress the area between her thighs. Her whole  
body began to tremble, and her breathing quickened as he  
continued to caress her.  
  
She slid her hand down from his chest to his crotch. He  
was hard. She stroked him through his pants, enjoying the  
way he responded to her touch.  
  
He nuzzled her neck with her lips and whispered urgently  
in her ear. "Laren, I love you so much. Let me make love  
to you."  
  
She was beyond words, drowning is a sea of passion and  
desire. She nodded her head against his chest. He stood  
and lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He  
lowered to her feet and held her close in a passionate  
embrace. Soon, they were undressing each other. Clothes  
fell to the floor as quickly as they were removed.  
  
When they had undressed each other, Will gathered Laren  
in his arms and pulled her down on the bed with him. Fires  
of passion ignited them and consumed them.  
  
Afterwards, they lay intertwined in each others arms. Will  
looked down at her and decided now was the time to ask  
her to marry him. Pulling her closer, he said, "Laren, I love  
you and Raulsta so much. I want us to be a family. I want  
to marry you."  
  
She looked into his eyes and saw love and tenderness there.  
The love and tenderness she wanted so badly. She nodded  
her head. "I love you too, Will. I want us to be a family.  
I'll marry you."  
  
Will lifted her face to his and kissed her with a tenderness  
she hadn't known he possessed. "Laren, we're going to be  
a family now. I want us to get married as soon as possible.  
I'm afraid that as far out as we are, there won't be anyplace  
to go for our honeymoon."  
  
She snuggled closer to him. "Well, there's always the Riker  
Six on the holodeck deck. That would be a fun place to go.  
We could spend one night there, and go off later on when  
the opportunity arises."  
  
Will smiled at her. "I agree. I think that the bear skin rug  
would be the perfect spot to make love to you on our  
wedding night."  
  
"I see," she replied. "Bare skin on the bear skin rug.  
Sounds very sexy."  
  
Raulsta began to cry. Laren sat up. "It's time for him to  
nurse again."  
  
She began to get up, but Will stopped her. Let me get him.  
I might as well practice since we're going to be a family.  
He went to the crib and changed the baby's diaper. Then he  
brought him to Laren. They sat quietly so he would go to  
back to sleep when he finished nursing. When he finished  
nursing, and had fallen back to sleep, Will carried him back  
to his crib. Then he slipped back into bed beside Laren.  
  
"You're a wonderful father, Will." she said as he drew her  
into his arms.  
  
"A wonderful father," he began. "Is that all?" One hand  
stroked her body suggestively.  
  
"No, you're also a fantastic lover," she said as she move  
her head to kiss him."  
  
"Well, in that case, "I'll give you more evidence to prove your  
statement is true." Will pulled her on top of him and began   
kissing her with rekindled passion  
  
  
********  
  
  
  
The next morning, Laren and Will sat down across from the  
Captain in his ready room. He was fairly certain he knew  
what they wanted, but waited for them to tell him.  
  
"Captain, Laren and I want to get married," said Will.  
  
The Captain smiled, "Have you set a date yet?"  
  
"Not yet," began Laren. "But we want to be married as  
soon as possible"  
  
Will nodded in agreement, "The sooner the better."  
  
"Well, Will, you know what to do. After all, it is the First  
Officer who handles requests for Wedding Certificates.  
You both come from different cultures, have you discussed  
the type of wedding you want?  
  
Laren spoke up, "We just want a regular ceremony in Ten  
Forward. We're going to wear our dress uniforms. After  
the ceremony, we want to have a small reception there  
too."  
  
Will smiled. "I had to talk her into doing that much. She  
just wanted to be married here in your Ready Room with  
the required witnesses and that was it."  
  
The Captain smiled. "Usually it's the groom who wants to  
simplify the wedding. But Laren, Will is right. Your  
wedding should be something special to remember."  
  
Will got all the information entered into the computer. In a  
week, the wedding would take place. They'd be a family.  
He smiled thinking of the sexy red night gown he'd gotten  
for her as a surprise for the wedding night. Imagining her  
in it made him wish he had not gotten her to agree to wait  
until their wedding night before making love again. It  
wasn't going to be an easy agreement to keep, but the way it  
was kindling their passion it would be worth it. Their  
wedding night would blaze with passion and desire.  
  
Before they knew it, the wedding day arrived. At the  
appointed time, Laren and Will stood before the Captain in  
Ten Forward in the presence of their friends.  
  
"Since the days when wooden ships first began to sail  
across oceans, Captains have had the honor of marrying  
men and women" began Captain Picard. "Today, I have  
the honor of joining two of my Senior Officers in  
marriage." He turned to Will. "Will, do you take Laren as  
your wife. Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her  
until death do you part?"  
He stared down at Laren with a loving gaze. "I do."  
  
"And Laren, " continued the Captain. "Do you take Will as  
your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish  
him till death do you part?"  
  
She looked up at Will with tears welling up in her eyes. "I  
do." she said softly.  
"Then by the power vested in me as Captain of the USS  
Enterprise, I now pronounce you man and wife." He gave  
them both a warm smile. "Will, you may kiss your  
bride."  
  
He took Laren into his arms and gave her a long passionate  
kiss. Their friends all burst into applause.  
  
The Captain stepped forward and hugged Laren and gave  
her a kiss on the cheek. "You've got a good man, Laren."  
Next, he shook Will's hand and said, "You have a very  
special woman, Will." The others pressed forward to offer  
their congratulations too.  
  
The reception was wonderful. Guinan had insisted on  
planning the whole thing. She had done a marvelous job.  
As Laren dance her first dance with Will, she felt as if she  
had finally found happiness.  
  
At last, they stood before the doors of the Holo Deck.  
Raulsta was being taken care of by Guinan for the night..  
The doors opened, and they walked through the snow to the  
cabin. They entered the cabin and closed the door. Will  
picked up a package from the sofa.  
  
"This is a special present I bought for you to wear tonight.  
Go into the bathroom and put it on. You can also freshen  
up a bit if you'd like. I made sure you have anything you  
might want in the bathroom. I've got final preparations to  
make out here," said Will.  
  
She looked up at him with a loving smile. "I can't wait to  
wear this for you." She turned and walked into the  
bathroom. In the bathroom, she opened the box to find the  
sexy red nightgown and matching bikini panties Will had  
bought for her. She changed from her dress uniform to the  
night gown. Next, she went to the dressing table. It was  
set up with everything she could ask for. She touched up  
her makeup and put on the perfume that Will loved for her  
to wear. One quick glance in the full length mirror told her  
she was ready. She walked out the bathroom door.  
  
The room was lovely. Will had turned the lights down low.  
A fire blazed in the fireplace. Will stood by it in a dark  
blue robe. When he saw her coming out of the bathroom,  
he picked up two glasses of sparkling cider and walked  
over to her. He handed her a glass and raised the one in his  
hand to a toast.  
  
"Here's to us." he said softly.  
  
"To us," she echoed touching her glass to his.  
  
They both took a drink. Then Will put his arm around her  
and led her to the bear skin rug by the fire. "I've been  
thinking about this night since I decided to ask you to  
marry me. Since we set the date, I've spent every night  
fantasizing about making love to you here on the rug."  
  
Laren sipped her drink thoughtfully. "I've thought a lot  
about it too. Since we decided not to make love again until  
tonight, I've been looking forward to this evening." She  
took another sip, emptying her glass.  
  
Will took her glass along with his and set them aside. Then  
he drew Laren into his arms and kissed her tenderly. She  
slipped her arms around him and allowed him pull her  
down on the rug. His hands moved up and down her back  
as he kissed her. Slowly, one hand slid down her arm and  
guided her hand to the tie on his robe.  
  
She pulled the tie loose and slid the robe off his shoulders.  
He lay there next to her clad only in jockey shorts.  
  
He slid her gown up and she lifted her body so he could  
remove it. Then he pulled her to him, his hands caressing  
her body. She completely surrendered to him.......  
  
Later, they lay close together basking in the afterglow of  
passionate love making. She had never dreamed she could  
be this content. Will smiled at her and gently stroked her  
cheek before kissing her softly.  
  
"Well, Ensign Riker, how does it feel to be a married  
woman."  
  
"I love it, Will. The best part is having a wonderful, loving  
husband." She lifted her lips and kissed him tenderly.  
  
***********  
  
  
In the days that followed, Laren and Will's life settled into a  
happy routine. Between work and being a family they were  
always busy. As Will had promised, it had gotten easier to  
leave Raulsta in the child care facility while they were both  
working.  
  
Several weeks after the wedding, they were eating lunch in  
their quarters. Will was in a playful mood and kept  
touching Laren under the table as they ate.  
  
"You're in a good mood today," remarked Laren. "Too bad  
we have that Senior Staff meeting today at 1300 hours. I  
can think of something else I rather be doing. How about  
you?"  
  
Will grinned, "Would it have anything to do with the way  
I'm touching you now?" He slid his hand up the inside of  
her thigh.  
  
"You'd better believe it," she said as she leaned over and  
kissed him passionately. Then she stood up and began to  
clear the dishes from the table. As she passed him, he  
playfully swatted her on the bottom. He watched her walk  
over to the replicator to recycle the dirty dishes. She had a  
wonderful body. He knew every inch of it intimately.  
Since their marriage, the bed in their quarters had seen  
action every night and other times too. The same was true  
for other parts of their quarters. He wished he had time to  
make love to her before the meeting, but there was only ten  
minutes left. All the touching he'd done during lunch had  
stirred up his desire for her.  
  
They walked to the turbo lift together. As they waited,  
Will put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back  
against him, enjoying the feel of her body against his. She  
fidgeted with embarrassment and hope no one would see  
them. She loved Will dearly, but was shy about him  
touching her in the more public areas of the ship. Quiet  
corners of ten forward and the holodeck were different.  
When the turbo lift doors opened, Will released her and  
they stepped inside.  
  
In the conference room, the Captain was outlining the  
routine diagnostics that would be ran on all systems the  
next day. Laren and Will sat side by side listening. Will's  
mind drifted to the way they had spent lunch in the  
quarters.. It had been fun and exciting to touch her under  
the table. It would be more exciting to touch her during  
the meeting. It would be a private secret they could laugh  
about later. He casually put a hand down on her thigh.  
Laren was startled and shifted position abruptly.  
  
"Is something wrong, Ensign Riker?" asked Captain  
Picard.  
  
Laren blushed, there was no way she was going to explain  
what just happened. "No sir." she replied.  
  
The Captain gave both of them a strange look and  
continued with the meeting. Laren glared up at Will, who  
just gave her a good natured smile. A few seconds later,  
Will reached down and began caressing her thigh again.  
This time, she sat rigidly still. She also noticed that the  
Captain was staring at them again, but continuing with the  
meeting as if nothing were wrong. She quickly moved  
Will's hand off her thigh as soon as the Captain glanced to  
the other side of the room. Will smiled at her, ignoring the  
warning that was flashing in her eyes. No sooner than she  
had folded her hands on the table, did Will reach down and  
start caressing her thigh again.  
  
She was determined not to move and disrupt the Captain's  
meeting again. When this shift was over, Will would find  
out just how angry she was.  
  
The meeting finally ended. They all went to their stations.  
Laren sat atthe Con seething. How could Will have done  
something like that to her? In their quarters, in the  
holodeck deck, or a quiet corner of Ten Forward was fine,  
but to touch her in such an intimate way during a meeting  
of the senior staff was inexcusable, as well as inconsiderate  
of her feelings. She worked silently, keeping her eyes fixed  
in front of her. She could not begin to imagine what had  
come over Will.  
  
Towards the end of her shift, the child care facility called  
and informed them that Raulsta had been crying for  
forty-five minutes and they had been unable to soothe him.  
The Ensign in charge of infants felt he was probably  
hungry. Raulsta didn't have any bottles of breast milk left.  
The Captain immediately excused Laren to go see to her  
son. As she left the bridge, Will flashed her a smile, and  
told her to take good care of him. She merely gave him a  
cold stare as she left the bridge.  
  
Raulsta was crying very hard when she got there. She  
gathered him inher arms and held him close. Recognizing  
his mother, he stopped crying and just whimpered as he  
rooted against her shoulder. She was now absolutely  
certain that he was hungry. She hurried with him to their  
quarters so she could nurse him.  
  
Once they were inside, she lay him on the bed, quickly  
stripped off her uniform and put on her robe. All the while,  
Raulsta cried and wailed. She scooped him up into her  
arms and settled in a chair. She opened the top of the robe,  
unfastened a cup on her bra and drew his face to her breast.  
He immediately latched onto the nipple and began to nurse,  
his tears and whimpers dissolving into contented sounds.  
  
"There, there, now," she murmured in a soothing voice. It's  
okay. Mom's here," She decided it was time to start him on  
cereal. The breast milk was not keeping him satisfied  
anymore. She and Dr. Crusher had discussed it earlier this  
week, and the Doctor had given her a list of several cereals  
available from the replicator that were appropriate for him.  
She would have to update his records at the child care  
center so they would be able to feed him cereal there too.  
  
For now though, she just let him nurse. His eyes stared up  
at her as he nursed. Eyes that looked so much like his  
father's eyes.  
  
She closed her eyes and made great effort to keep her anger  
in check. Tension and anger would only slow the flow of  
milk. Right now, Raulsta needed her full attention. Later  
on, she would have plenty of time to give Will a piece of  
her mind. After about fifteen minutes of nursing, he feel  
into a contented sleep. She stood slowly, walked to the  
crib and eased him down.  
  
She readjusted her bra and robe, then sat down at the desk  
to work on the computer. She wanted to review the  
diagnostic procedures for the con station. She was in the  
middle of the review when Will walked in.  
  
He stared at her with a playful leer, remembering how  
much fun they had had at lunch. Then he walked over to  
where she was sitting, intending to continue the game. He  
put his hands down on her shoulders and bent down to kiss  
her.  
  
Abruptly she stood up and pushed him away.  
  
"Hey, what wrong?" asked Will.  
  
Laren's eyes flashed with anger. "After the way you were  
pawing me in the staff meeting, what do you expect? You  
embarrassed me in front everyone." As angry as she was,  
she made an extreme effort to keep her voice down so  
Raulsta would not wake up.  
  
"Oh come on, Laren, you loved it." said Will in surprise.  
  
"You weren't listening to what I said. A meeting of the  
senior staff is hardly the place for you to paw my thighs,  
even if we are married. The Captain certainly noticed what  
was going on. I have never been so embarrassed in my life.  
There are times and places to touch each other, but a staff  
meeting certainly isn't one of them." She gave him an icy  
glare.  
  
"No one would have noticed if you'd played it cool. It was  
meant to be a secret between the two of us. A little bit of  
fun. A private secret we could laugh about later." stormed  
Will.  
  
"You don't seem to care that you've embarrassed me. All  
you have on your mind is sex. Marriage is more that sex.  
It's also treating each other with mutual respect. You  
certainly didn't treat me with respect at that meeting," she  
snapped.  
  
Will walked to the door. As it slid open, he turned to her.  
"I'll be back later. When you cool down, you'll see how  
silly you're being about this. Then we'll both laugh about  
it."  
  
She glared and made an extreme effort not to yell. "Don't  
bet on it."  
  
As he walked out the door, she sat back down. They had  
not had a fight since they had been married. She wondered  
if this would mean the end their marriage. Will was so  
angry, and he had walked out........She cleared her mind and  
forced herself to focus on the data filled computer screen.  
  
Will wandered aimlessly through the ship. What on earth  
had gone wrong. They had had such a passionate lunch.  
When he had touched her on the sly in the staff meeting, he  
was sure she would enjoyed the secret continuation of the  
sensual game they had started at lunch. He'd returned to  
their quarters after his shift ended expecting a romantic,  
sensual, passionate evening with Laren. He certainly hadn't  
expected to get into a fight. As he rounded a curve near his  
office, he saw Captain Picard. Will wondered if Laren was  
right, and if the Captain had been aware of what he had  
being doing.  
  
"Number One," began the Captain. I'd like to speak to you  
in private.  
"Yes sir." said Will softly. "My office is just two doors  
down. Would you like to talk in there."  
  
The Captain nodded, and they went into Will's office and  
sat down.  
  
"Will, I try to stay out of the crew's private lives, but when  
private lives interfere with their job performance, I have no  
choice but to intervene."  
  
Will sat quietly, certain that the Captain was going to  
discuss his behavior in the staff meeting.  
  
"Today, during the staff meeting your behavior towards  
Laren was inappropriate and unprofessionally," continued  
the Captain.  
  
"Captain, I was...."  
  
"This is not a discussion, Number One," interrupted the  
Captain. "Staff meetings are hardly the place for  
indiscriminate touching of others. It makes no difference  
what type of relationship you have with that person. You  
embarrassed Laren today in front of her fellow officers."  
He shook his head. "I've never seen you act in such a  
manner. If there are any recurrences, there will be an  
official reprimand placed in your record. I suggest you  
apologize to Laren, immediately."  
  
"Yes sir," replied Will. "I behaved badly during the  
meeting, sir, and I apologize. It won't happen again. I'll go  
and apologize to Laren right now,"  
  
Will walked back to their quarters. He'd certainly made a  
mess of things. He could only hope she would accept his  
apology. If she was too hurt and angry, and decided she  
couldn't trust him anymore, then left him.......He blocked  
that thought out of his mind.. He had to believe she would  
accept the apology.  
  
He walked in the door, and she looked up from the  
computer where she was working. When he saw her tear  
stained face, Will felt even worse than he had when he left  
Captain Picard. He had clearly hurt the woman who meant  
the world to him.  
  
He walked over to where she sat. Being careful not to  
touch her uninvited, he began. "Laren, I'm sorry. I.....I....I  
treated you very badly. I never meant to hurt you or  
embarrass you."  
  
She stood up, her eyes filling with more tears and took a  
step towards him. He reached out and drew her into his  
arms.  
  
"I am so sorry, Laren." He held her close.  
  
She looked up at him. "When you walked out during the  
fight, I was afraid. You were so angry. I thought you were  
leaving for good. I love you, and I don't want to lose  
you."  
  
His arms tightened around her. "Laren, I love you. I would  
never leave you. From now on, when we fight, let's  
promise never to walk out. No matter how angry we are.  
We'll stay in the room until the fight is over, or until we  
mutually agree postpone the fight for a cooling off period.  
Agreed?"  
  
She nodded her head against his chest. He lifted her face  
with one hand and began to wipe the tears away.  
  
"Captain Picard chewed me out for the way I treated you. I  
deserved the lecture he gave me too." said Will softly.  
  
"He gave you a reprimand for this." she whispered  
sorrowfully.  
  
Will shook his head, touched by her concern. "No, not this  
time. He did make me see how wrong I though. He pulled  
her closer and kissed her tenderly. She melted in his arms,  
feeling the warm security of his love.  
  
"You know, Laren, when married couples have a fight,  
afterwards, they make up." He gave her a welcoming  
smile. "Will you let me make up with you now?"  
  
She looked at him with a knowing gleam in her eyes. "Just  
what do we do to make up."  
  
"Well, I would take you to our bed and make passionate  
love to you." said Will huskily.  
  
She nodded her head. "That sounds perfect."  
  
He bent down and kissed her passionately. She responded  
to his kiss with equal passion, feeling loved and secure.  
Will lifted her into his strong arms and carried her to their  
bed....  
  
  
Later that evening, Laren lay nestled in Will's arms.  
Passion had consumed them in a way that it never had  
before. Now they lay close together in each others arms.  
  
"Laren," began Will gently. "I noticed in the corridor today  
while we were waiting for the turbo lift that you seemed  
uncomfortable when I pulled you against me. Were  
you?"  
  
"Yes, I was," she admitted. "I love it when you touch me in  
the privacy of our quarters, on the holodeck deck, and even  
in the quiet corners of Ten Forward. But in the more  
public parts of the ship....." She trailed off for a few  
moments, as if searching for the right words. "It's just that I  
worry what other people think when they see us. I know  
that since we're married that there's nothing wrong with it  
when we're not working.....I don't why I get embarrassed so  
easily. I'll try to get used to it, because I know you're doing  
to show me love."  
  
"Laren, I don't want to embarrass you. What touches would  
you feel the most comfortable with in public areas." asked  
Will in an understanding voice.  
  
She thought for a few moments. "Well, I would enjoy  
holding hands, and I think you to putting your arm around  
my waist would be a good start."  
  
Will smiled at her. "Okay, then that's what I'll do." He  
drew her closer and kissed her softly. "Now, I think we  
should get something to eat. Don't you?"  
  
She smiled. "I agree. I am hungry." She sat up and  
reached for her robe which was on the floor by the bed.  
She put it on and walked over to the replicator. Will put on  
his robe and followed her. As she ordered the dinners, he  
put his arms around her, holding her close. When the food  
appeared, she picked up the trays. Will released her and  
took his tray. They walked to the table and sat down to eat.  
  
"I'm going to start Raulsta on cereal. Dr. Crusher and I  
discussed it earlier this week, and she thinks it's a good  
idea. The breast milk just doesn't seem to be enough for  
him anymore," said Laren.  
  
"Sounds like a good idea. I'm so glad you decided to breast  
feed him. I can't believe how big he's gotten. Your milk  
has made him so strong and healthy."  
  
She smiled at him. "I couldn't do it without your support.  
Some men would really object to their wives nursing a  
baby." She reached over and touched his hand. "I also  
realize that since Raulsta is breast fed you've missed out on  
feeding him. Would you like to feed him the cereal before  
I nurse him."  
  
Will beamed at her. "I would love that. I've missed  
feeding him, but I wouldn't want him on a bottle when your  
breast milk is the best thing for him."  
  
"Is giving him a bottle the only thing you miss since I'm  
breast feeding him?" she asked with a sly, sexy smile.  
  
"No, but when he's weaned, I'll make up for lost time," said  
Will lustfully.  
  
Just as they finished eating, Raulsta began crying in his  
crib. Laren smiled at Will, "Go to the replicator and order  
up Infant Cereal #351." She walked over to the crib and  
changed Raulsta's diaper. Then she returned to the table  
where Will was waiting with the cereal and placed their  
son in his arms.  
  
"Hey Raulsta," he began softly. "I have a special treat for  
you tonight." He spooned some cereal into his mouth.  
Raulsta got a surprised expression on his face and  
swallowed. Then he opened his mouth for more.  
  
"Well, what do you know? He likes it." said Will  
cheerfully.  
  
"Good, maybe he'll go longer between feedings now." said  
Laren gratefully.  
  
When Raulsta finished his cereal, Will handed him to  
Laren so she could nurse him. He nursed for about ten  
minutes, then drifted off to sleep. She quietly carried him  
to his crib and lay him down.  
  
As she turned away from the crib, she saw that Will had  
followed her. She looked up into his eyes, then stepped  
closer to him and slid her arms around him.  
  
He bent his head down and kissed her with a blazing  
passion. He guided her over to their bed, and they sank  
down on it together.  
  
********  
  
  
  
The next morning the chiming of their alarm woke them  
up. Will gave her a warm good morning kiss as she lay  
sleepily in his arms.  
  
"Good morning, sleepy head. I love you." he whispered  
tenderly.  
  
She looked into his eyes and murmured, "I love you too."  
  
"We're going to have to hurry, Laren," began Will. "We  
both need to shower, and Raulsta needs to be fed, bathed  
and dressed too."  
  
She nodded slowly. "We're going to be late if we don't  
hurry." She pulled out of Will's arms and sat up. Looking  
over at the crib, she saw that Raulsta was laying on his  
stomach playing with an activity board on the side of the  
crib. When he saw his parents up, he began cooing and  
smiling at them.  
  
Will walked over to the crib. "I have a suggestion, Laren.  
You go shower while I change Raulsta's diaper and feed  
him his cereal. Then, while I shower you can nurse him.  
After I get out of the shower and get dressed, I'll bathe  
Raulsta and dress him while you finish getting ready. Then  
you and I can grab breakfast bars on the way out."  
  
"Sounds great," said Laren. She looked around the room,  
and finally spotted her robe on the floor near the bed where  
Will had tossed it last night. She grabbed it and headed for  
the shower.  
  
As warm water coursed over her body, she let her mind  
wander back to the last time she and Will had showered  
together. Showering together was always a fantastically  
sensual experience. She wanted to shower with him now,  
there just wasn't time. Maybe tonight, she thought happily.  
She cut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She  
briskly dried herself off and put a towel around her wet  
hair. Then she slid her robe on.  
  
When she came out of the bathroom, Will handed Raulsta  
to her and went to take his shower. While he showered,  
she sat in a chair and nursed Raulsta. It was hard to believe  
he was already five months old. In seven months, it would  
be time to wean him. Then she'd get a birth control  
injection. As much as she loved Raulsta, she wasn't ready t  
have another baby so soon.  
  
Will came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped  
around his waist. He pulled his uniform out of the closet  
and began to dress.  
  
"As soon as I'm ready, I'll take him so you can finish getting  
ready," said Will.  
  
When he was dressed, he took Raulsta to the bathroom and  
quickly bathed and dressed him. At the same time, Laren  
hurried to finish getting ready.  
  
Finally they were all ready to go. Laren gave Will a soft  
smile. "I think I need a kiss before we go." She slid her  
hands up his chest and put her arms around his neck. He  
bent down and gave her a long, sensuous kiss.  
  
As he pulled back, he smiled down at her. "Feeling better  
now?" he asked.  
  
"Always after a kiss from you." she sighed.  
  
  
************  
  
  
Captain Picard looked up as the turbo lift doors slid open.  
He saw Laren and Will step out. From the expressions on  
their faces, he know Will had made things right. They both  
took their stations.  
  
When the relief crew came on for the lunch break, Laren  
and Will checked with the child care facility and  
discovered Raulsta was down for a nap. Since he was  
napping, they decided to go to Ten Forward for lunch.  
They made their selections and found a quiet corner. Both  
of them put down their trays and sat close together. In the  
dimly lit booth, Will gave her a quick kiss. Then, she  
surprised him by pulling him back for a longer, more  
passionate kiss.  
  
"You're sure in a good mood today." commented Will  
happily.  
  
She smiled at him. "Yes, I am."  
  
As they began eating, she slipped her hand down to caress  
Wills thigh. He sighed softly and slid his hand along the  
inside of her thigh.  
  
She leaned close and whispered in his ear. "You know, this  
morning while I was showering, I got to thinking how  
much fun it is to shower together. It been a long time since  
we've done that. I really want to do it again, very soon."  
She gave him a seductive look, and she let her hand brush  
against his crotch.  
  
"I'll take you up on that invitation tonight," he said  
playfully. "As soon as Raulsta is asleep tonight, you and I  
can get into the shower."  
  
All too soon it was time to return to the bridge. Will took  
her hand as they walked out of Ten Forward and towards  
the Turbo Lift. She pulled him closer and he slid his arm  
around her waist. She smiled up at him, a part of her  
wanted to kiss him, but she was just too inhibited to do it in  
the corridor. She hoped she would lose these inhibitions  
soon. She was making progress. Here they were in a  
public area of the ship and she was letting him put his arm  
around her waist.  
  
It seemed as if the shift would never end. It had been an  
uneventful four hours. Nothing of interest, just more  
diagnostics, but it was finally over. Once they were in their  
quarters, Will fed Raulsta some cereal while Laren changed  
out of her uniform. It was too awkward to nurse Raulsta in  
her uniform.  
  
She took him from Will and settled down on the couch to  
nurse him. Will sat down beside her and put his arm  
around her shoulders. He was anticipating the rest of the  
evening. Raulsta usually fell asleep as he nursed. Soon,  
they would be in the shower together. They'd been so busy,  
too busy in fact. He vowed to make more time to do things  
with Laren and Raulsta.  
  
As soon as Raulsta was asleep, Laren put him in his crib.  
At the same time, Will called up a simple menu from the  
replicator for their supper. They both sat down to eat, each  
very aware of the other. As they ate, their hands frequently  
explored each other's bodies. When dinner was finished,  
they quickly cleaned up the dirty dishes. Laren made one  
more quick check on Raulsta, and then she allowed Will to  
lead her into the bathroom. They undressed each other  
slowly, wanting to prolong the experience. Once they were  
undressed, Will turned on the water, and they both stepped  
inside.......  
  
Afterwards, they lay together in bed completely spent. Will  
had dozed off to sleep. Laren reflected on how their lives  
had changed since she first told Will she was pregnant with  
his child. Their relationship had progressed from fellow  
officers, to friends, to falling in love, to getting married.  
She looked at Will sleeping beside her, his arms still  
wrapped around her. He was a loving husband and father.  
He doted on Will. He treated her lovingly. The one fight  
they'd had since their wedding was quickly made up. Will  
was also a fantastic lover. Every since their wedding night,  
there had not been a day that they had not made love at  
least once. She considered herself lucky to have a man like  
Will. He really loved her. She had no doubt about that.  
  
Sleepiness was beginning to overtake her, so she nestled her head  
against Will's shoulder and fell asleep.  
  
  
********  
  
  
  
The day had finally come. Will and Laren were at Risa for  
their long awaited honeymoon. Since Laren was nursing,  
they had to take Raulsta with them. That would not pose a  
problem though, as Risa had an excellent child care  
industry to cater to visiting parents. They planned to spend  
four wonderful days together.  
  
On their next to last day, Will and Laren were walking on  
the beach. They had had such a wonderful time so far.  
They were in a quiet secluded area of the beach. Will  
stopped and pulled her into a close embrace. He kissed her  
passionately, and wondered how she was going to respond  
to his suggestion that they go "Skinny dipping." They were  
all alone on the beach, so no one would see or know.  
  
"Laren," he whispered in her ear. "Let's go for a swim."  
  
"Will, our suits are back in the room." answered Laren.  
  
"We could go swimming without them. Skinny dipping is  
fun." Will held her close and looked into her eyes.  
  
"You really want us to swim in the nude, don't you?" she  
asked quietly. She glanced around, they were totally alone,  
and it would clearly meant a lot to Will. "Okay,I'll do it."  
she answered in an uncertain voice. It could be fun she  
thought as she began to undress.  
  
They swam and splashed in the warm water. Before long,  
Laren was nolonger inhibited by the fact she was naked,  
and was really enjoying herself. It was so good to just relax  
and not have to worry about what other people might think.  
Will had disappeared from view. As she wondered where  
he had gone, two arms slipped around her waist, and a  
familiar voice whispered in her ear. "Are you having a  
good time?" She turned to face Will, and he pulled her  
close, kissing her as he ran his hands up and down her  
back. She responded to his kisses with an eager intensity.  
His kisses grew even more demanding, his hands more  
provocative as he moved her toward the shore and pulled  
her down onto the damp sand. She was so aroused, she  
didn't care where they were. They made love there on the  
damp sand with the surf pounding just below their feet.  
  
Later that evening in their suite, they were enjoying dinner  
by candle light. Raulsta was asleep for the night.  
  
"I had fun today, Will. The time we spent on the beach was  
so romantic."  
  
Will slid his arm around her shoulders. "I wish we didn't  
have to go homet omorrow. I've really enjoyed the time  
we've spent here,"  
  
He glanced over at the bed and saw the Horga'hn he had  
bought for her sitting on the bed.  
  
She smiled when she saw he had noticed it.  
  
He turned to look at her. "Is that an invitation, Laren?" he  
asked teasingly.  
  
For an answer, she pulled his face close to hers and gave  
him a deep,searching kiss. His arms pulled her closer as he  
returned the kiss.  
  
Suddenly, she pulled back and darted out of her chair. Will  
looked at her in confusion, wondering what was wrong.  
She reached out and tapped his shoulder. "You're it." she  
said in a teasing voice. Then she scampered playfully  
across the room.  
  
It sunk in instantly, and Will jumped up in pursuit. He was  
fast, but she was more agile and kept out maneuvering him.  
They were both enjoying the game. He continued to chase  
her as she darted around the room. It was wonderful to see  
her so playful and relaxed. She turned around and walked  
backwards as he continued to pursue her. She  
miscalculated her course and fell into a chair. Seeing his  
chance, Will pounced and pulled her into his arms. The  
game had aroused his passion and desire to unbelievable  
levels. He kissed her as he pulled her to their bed. She  
laughed with delight, never had she dreamed married life  
could be so fun. In the past two months, she had managed  
to lose some of her inhibitions, and now here on Risa it  
seemed she was losing even more of them.  
  
The next morning Laren woke with a stinging sensation on  
the parts of her body that had been covered with clothes  
before they went skinny dipping. She sat up and saw she  
had a very bad case of sunburn.  
  
"Ouch, you're really burned bad," said Will with sympathy.  
  
"I'll have fun explaining to Dr. Crusher why I'm sunburned  
in such unusual places," said Laren ruefully.  
  
"Hey, I'm sure she's been skinny dipping before too.  
There's no reason for you to be embarrassed or ashamed,"  
he said comfortingly. He leaned over and kissed her, being  
careful not to bump her sunburned skin.  
  
Later that day in sick bay, Laren waited nervously for Dr.  
Crusher.  
  
"What seems to be the problem, Laren?" asked Dr. Crusher  
as she walked into the examination room.  
  
"Well," began Laren in an embarrassed voice. "Will and I  
went skinny dipping on Risa yesterday, and I got a really  
bad sunburn." She pulled the sick bay gown down and  
revealed dark red skin.  
  
Dr. Crusher smiled. "I understand. The same thing  
happened to me the first time Jack and I went skinny  
dipping. You're going to have to spend some time under a  
dermal regeneration unit. Ten minutes on each side should  
do it. Follow me."  
  
"Will didn't get sunburned at all. He just got a fantastic  
tan," remarked Laren.  
  
"You've got much fairer skin that he does, Laren. From  
now on, always make sure you use plenty of sun screen,"  
said Dr. Crusher. "You'll need to lie here on the table. I'll  
set the unit for ten minutes. Then I'll reset it for your  
back."  
  
Once the machine started, Dr. Crusher left. The healing rays caused a  
pleasant tingling sensation. Before she knew it, the ten minutes   
were up, and she was laying on her stomach completing the treatment.  
  
  
********  
  
  
Later that afternoon, Laren was rocking Raulsta when Will  
entered their quarters. He smiled at them. "Well, it looks  
as if Dr. Crusher took care of your sunburn." He walked  
over and bent down to give her a kiss. Then he gently  
stroked Raulsta's head. "Doesn't he usually take a nap  
about this time?"  
  
"Yes, but he's been really fussy this afternoon. It may be  
the time change that has him upset. Risa time and ship's  
time don't match."  
  
"You're probably right," said Will. "It looks like he's  
almost asleep now,"  
  
"I'm going to hold him for a few more minutes. Just to be  
sure. The last time I laid him down, he woke up crying  
Immediately."  
  
Will sat on the bed by her chair watching his wife and son.  
His life was great. He had a loving wife and a wonderful  
son. It was amazing how much fatherhood had changed  
him. He smiled as Laren stood up and gently eased Raulsta  
into his crib. This time he stayed asleep.  
  
She motioned Will to follow her out of the bedroom. "Let's  
have some coffee," she whispered as she walked to the  
replicator. She continued to speak softly. "Computer, two  
decaf coffees with sugar." After a soft hum, two cups of  
steaming coffee appeared. She took one and handed the  
other to Will. Then she walked over to the couch and he  
followed her. They sat down and began to drink their  
coffee.  
  
"I had fun while we were on Risa." she whispered softly.  
She gazed affectionately at Will, "I'm glad we went."  
  
"You certainly loosened up while we were there." began  
Will. "I was surprised when you agreed to go skinny  
dipping with me,"  
  
"I enjoyed it. I think we could repeat the experience on the  
holodeck deck," she gazed at him speculatively, gauging  
his reaction to her suggestion.  
  
"Sounds like fun. We'll just have to make sure you have on  
plenty of sun screen. You don't want to be sun burned  
again." said Will as he eased an arm around her shoulders.  
He drew her close, and she cuddled her head into his  
shoulder.  
  
She thought about how different her life had become. In  
her wildest dreams, she had never imagined that her life  
would turn out this way. She had a husband who loved her,  
and they had a son who was a great joy to them. She lifted  
her head and kissed Will tenderly. He put both arms  
around her and kissed her in return. It was a lingering kiss  
of sweet passion. She felt flames of desire stirring deep  
within her. She wanted to make love with Will. She  
wanted to feel his hands gliding over her body.  
  
She nuzzled his ear with warm, eager lips. "Will, I want  
you. Let's make love here on the couch so we won't wake  
up Raulsta."  
  
He drew her closer, pulling her down to lie against his  
chest and slid her loose dress up and pulled it over her  
head. Her hands began to feverishly remove his shirt.  
Their passion for each other took over....  
  
  
Over supper that evening, they continued talking about  
their trip. Will was pleased to see Laren so animated. She  
had come so far since she had first told him of her  
pregnancy. No longer was she the tense withdrawn young  
woman she had been. She had blossomed in the warmth of  
his love.  
  
"I wish we could have spent longer on Risa." she said with  
a smile. "We had so much fun. I really did relax and enjoy  
myself."  
  
"I hope you continue to relax and loosen up. You really  
came alive while we were there. Frankly, no one would  
have believed you had any inhibitions."  
  
"I'm trying to be less inhibited. I know if I can keep the  
habits I started on Risa, that it will be an improvement,"  
she said softly.  
  
"I'll like that," said Will. "You have no idea how much I  
enjoy touching you. Human men express themselves with  
touch more than with words."  
  
"I know," she began softly. "I've also noticed that other  
crew members who are married don't seem to have any  
problems with touching in the more public areas of the  
ship. I'm ready to try it too."  
  
Will smiled at his wife. "We'll take it slow and easy. If I  
ever make you feel uncomfortable, please let me know. I  
love you and I don't want to hurt you."  
  
She took his hands in hers. Will saw the desire in her eyes,  
and answered it with the same look in his eyes....  
  
The next morning, they woke up to the sounds of Raulsta  
crying in great distress. Laren jumped out of bed not  
bothering with her robe. She picked him up and said,  
"Will, he's burning up. We need to take him to sickbay  
now."  
  
Her concerned expression spurred Will into action. He  
quickly dressed as Laren comforted Raulsta. Once he was  
dressed, he took the baby while she dressed. Raulsta  
continued crying in spite of all his efforts to comfort him.  
  
"Will, you don't suppose he contracted some illness while  
we were on Risa, do you?" she asked as she clutched  
Raulsta to her chest. They were hurrying down the corridor  
to sickbay.  
  
"It's possible. The best thing we can do is get him to  
sickbay and let Dr. Crusher check him out." answered  
Will.  
  
It seemed like an eternity before they got to sickbay. Will  
had notified Dr. Crusher, and she was waiting for them.  
She took Raulsta from Laren and laid him on an  
examination table. She picked up the Tricorder and began  
scanning. After a few moments, she snapped it shut.  
  
"Do you know what's wrong with him?" asked Laren  
breathlessly. She clutched Will's hand convulsively, as fear  
for her son gripped her heart.  
  
"He's running fever because he's cutting a tooth. That  
happens sometimes, but his fever is high. We need to get it  
down. I'll give him somebaby anacephalin. It's a fever  
reduction medication for infants." She picked up a hypo  
spray and gave him an injection. "We also need to get him  
into a lukewarm bath. His fever is dangerously high."  
"How high is ?" asked Will as they followed the doctor to  
the sink where she was running water for Raulsta.  
  
"It's 103.8 F. That's very high for a baby. Laren, come here  
and undress Raulsta and put him in this water."  
  
Raulsta had ceased crying, and listlessly allowed his  
mother to strip him. She lowered him in the lukewarm  
water. Will came to stand beside her. They both took turns  
holding him and pouring water across his body.  
  
Finally, the fever broke. Laren felt tears of relief roll down  
her cheeks. She lifted Raulsta out of the sink and dried  
him off. Then she quickly dressed him so he wouldn't get  
chilled. Will stood close by her helping all he could.  
  
Dr. Crusher smiled at them. "I believe he'll be fine now.  
I'm sending a hypo of the medicine along with this fever  
sensor. If his temperature starts to go up, give him a dose.  
It's pre-measured, so all you have to do is give him the  
injection. He can have a dose every four hours. The sensor  
is very easy to operate. Attach the patch to the back of his  
neck. Then turn the unit on. It will give you a constant  
read out of his temperature. If his temperature goes above  
101, bring him back to sickbay immediately. Since you  
two go back on duty tomorrow, I'd like you to leave Raulsta  
in sickbay instead of the child care center. That way, we  
can monitor him. If he spikes another temperature, we'll be  
able to care for him here,"  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Crusher," said Will gratefully.  
  
"Yes, thank you so much," said Laren. "I was so  
frightened. He's so little and he's never been sick before."  
  
Laren and Will both walked out of sickbay. Laren held  
Raulsta close, relieved that his fever had caused by teething  
and not illness. Many babies had died of various diseases  
in the Bajoran resettlement camps.  
  
Will carried a case of supplies from sick bay the doctor had  
given them to care for Raulsta with one hand. His other  
arm was placed around Laren, giving her reassurance and  
comfort.  
  
Once they were in their quarters, Will opened the case, and  
they began to set up the monitor. He very quickly attached  
the patch on the back of Raulsta's neck. The medicine was  
making him very drowsy. Laren sat down and began to  
rock him, keeping her eyes glued to the read out on the  
temperature sensor. His temperature had broken while they  
were in sickbay. It still read within normal limits. Will sat  
on the bed near the chair. Soon, Raulsta was sleeping.  
  
"Laren, why don't you put him in his crib now," began Will  
gently. "He'll rest more comfortably there."  
  
She looked at him and nodded slowly. "You're right,"  
With great reluctance she put Raulsta back in the crib.  
  
Will could see how stressed she was. He pulled her into his  
arms to comfort her. "He's going to be just fine. I know  
just what you need. I'm going to run you a hot bath. I want  
you to soak for a while. It will help you relax. Afterwards,  
I'll give you a back rub." He released her and walked into  
the bathroom. She sat in the rocking chair and listened to  
the running water. Will was being so considerate. She  
knew he was just as worried as she was, and he was putting  
her needs ahead of himself.  
  
Will walked into the bedroom with a smile. "There, it's all  
ready. You go soak for a while. I'll be here to look after  
Raulsta." He took her hand and guided her to the  
bathroom. "When you're through, I'll give you a back rub.  
That ought to loosen up those tight muscles."  
  
As she walked into the bathroom, a familiar aroma took her  
by surprise. Will had put her favorite bath oil in the water.  
He'd even hung her robe nearby for her to put on after her  
bath. She undressed and stepped into the tub. The warm  
water felt so good. She closed her eyes and let the warm  
water slowly relax her. As she relaxed, she thought about  
Will. He was so caring. She had never seen this side of  
him before she had gotten pregnant. Her fears of how they  
would manage to get along had never materialized. They  
had only had one fight. Will was a very special person.  
She sighed and let her mind drift over the past months  
since she had told him she was pregnant with his child.  
  
After soaking for thirty minutes, she got out and dried off.  
Then she slid into her robe and walked into the bedroom.  
During her soak, she had come to the conclusion that she  
didn't want a back rub to relieve her stress. She had an idea  
that would relieve stress for both of them.  
  
Will looked up at her as she walked around to her side of  
the bed. He had already turned the covers down so she  
could lie in bed for her back rub. She smiled, anticipating  
his response to what she was going to do.  
  
"Ready for your back rub?" he asked.  
  
She slid off her robe and got into bed with a smile. As she  
lay on her side, she gave him a sultry look. I thought of  
something that would relax both of us, and it's not a back  
rub." She patted the bed. "Interested?" Will sat on the  
edge of the bed, and began removing his boots.  
  
Later on, just before noon, Raulsta began crying. Laren  
and Will both quickly checked the sensor read out. His  
temperature was still normal. They both breathed a sigh of  
relief.  
  
"I bet he's hungry. He's hasn't eaten today." said Laren as  
she began to change his diaper. "Will, why don't you go get  
his cereal from the replicator. Get number 489. That one  
has fruit in it."  
  
Will walked over to the replicator in the other room. Laren  
finished changing Raulsta's diaper, then she took him to  
their bed and sat down in the bed as Will came walking in  
with the cereal. He sat in the chair by the bed and took  
Raulsta.  
  
Raulsta ate slowly, spitting out every other spoonful. It  
took nearly twenty minutes to feed him his cereal. When  
he was finished, Will passed him back to Laren so she  
could nurse him. She opened her robe and brought his face  
to her breast. As soon as he felt his mother's skin against  
his cheek, he began rooting for the nipple. He found it and  
began to nurse contentedly.  
  
Laren smiled down at her son. "Is my boy feeling better  
now?" she whispered softly as he continued to nurse.  
They sat quietly and waited on him to finish. When he had  
fallen asleep, Will took him from Laren's arms and put him  
in his crib.  
  
"Well, he's sleeping again." said Laren. She glanced at the  
monitor his temperature was up slightly. It had been four  
hours, so she took the hypo and gave him another shot. He  
stirred a little, but did not wake up.  
  
"I hope his temperature doesn't shoot back up." She gave  
Will a worried glance.  
  
"I'm sure he'll be fine, Laren," said Will reassuringly.  
"Now, I suggest we get ourselves some lunch too."  
She followed him to the outer room.  
  
Leaving Raulsta in sick bay the next morning was difficult.  
His temperature had gone up again last night. It had gotten  
to 100.7. They gave him more medicine and bathed him in  
lukewarm water for thirty minutes before his fever broke.  
  
As she glanced behind her looking the doors to sickbay,  
Will slid his arm around her.  
  
"He'll be okay. Dr. Crusher will take good care of him." he  
said.  
  
Laren looked up at Will. "I know. I just hate to leave him  
when he doesn't feel well. Dr. Crusher says his tooth will  
probably be in today or tomorrow. Then he shouldn't run  
anymore fever. I asked her if this would happen every time  
he got a new tooth. She said she didn't know. Sometimes a  
babies run a fever when they cut a new tooth. Other times  
they don't She shook her head. "Being a parent isn't  
easy."  
  
"No, it isn't. Raulsta is lucky to have you for a mother, and  
I very lucky to have you for a wife." He drew her into his  
arms and kissed her as they waited for the turbo lift. She  
offered no resistance, instead she responded tenderly.  
  
"I guess you liked that touch." he said with a smile as they  
broke apart when the lift doors opened.  
  
"Yes, I did." she whispered.  
  
When they picked up Raulsta at the end of their shift, he  
was cooing happily. His tooth had come through late that  
afternoon. They took him with them to Ten Forward for  
supper. He babbled and cooed as he sat on Will's lap eating  
his cereal. Laren laughed when cereal fell with a splat on  
Will's uniform as Raulsta babbled at his father.  
  
"Here," she said. "Let me help you wipe that off. You've  
got your hands full." She took a napkin and cleaned the  
cereal off of Will's uniform. They smiled at each other.  
Their son was truly unpredictable. Raulsta looked at his  
mother, then pushed away the spoon and reached for his  
mother.  
  
"I guess he doesn't want those last few bites of cereal,  
Will." She took Raulsta in her arms and he began to root  
against the front of her uniform.  
  
"I think we'd better go, he knows exactly what he wants."  
chuckled Will.  
  
Laren smiled. This was not the first time that Raulsta had  
rooted against her in public, nor would it be the last. She  
walked to the door, following Will.  
  
In their quarters, she sat on the couch nursing Raulsta.  
Will was working at his desk, finishing up a report. "He  
certainly was the center of attention in Ten Forward.  
Sometimes having the youngest child on board is definitely  
a disadvantage."  
  
"Oh, I don't know about that, Laren. I think the attention is  
good for him. He is a very sociable child. He loves being  
around other people. Look at how much fun he has at the  
child care center. OUCH!! Raulsta, don't bite." She  
looked up at Will. "He just bit me. That's something Dr.  
Crusher warned me about. She said when it happens to  
pull him away from my breast for a few seconds."  
  
"Sounds like a good idea to me. Especially since you've  
got six more months to go before you wean him. You're  
still planning to nurse him until he's a year old aren't you."  
asked Will as he walked from the desk to the couch where  
she sat nursing Raulsta.  
  
"Yes, he needs the breast milk for about a year. At one  
year, he can be weaned and put on formula. Right now,  
he's getting important nutrients and building up his immune  
system by getting breast milk."  
  
"I know," said Will as he sat beside her. "I wanted you to  
breast feed him. I never said anything to you about it  
before you told me that was what you were going to do. I  
didn't want you to feel pressured."  
  
"After breast feeding him for six months, I still can't  
imagine making any other choice. It creates a special bond  
between a mother and child."  
  
"I don't know of a mother who's closer to her child than  
you." said Will.  
  
"It's the same with you and Raulsta, Will. You love him as  
much as I do. He loves you too. I enjoy watching you feed  
him his cereal. The way he looks at you with those big  
brown eyes of his leaves no doubt in my mind that he loves  
you very much. Just like I do." she said tenderly.  
  
Will tightened his arm around her shoulder. "I love you so  
much, Laren. I never thought of myself as a family man  
before, but now I can't imagine my life without the two of  
you."  
  
Raulsta stopped nursing and pulled back from her breast.  
Laren fastened the nursing cup on her bra. "I guess he's  
full." She pulled her shirt down and stood up. Well  
Raulsta let's get some toys and play. She got his activity  
quilt and spread it out on the floor. Then she sat beside the  
quilt watching him.  
  
Will joined them. "He certainly does love that quilt," said  
Will as he watched his son explore the various objects.  
  
"Yes, he does. It's also an excellent learning tool,"  
answered Laren. She looked at Will. "Before we know it,  
he'll be walking. Then we'll have to baby proof our  
quarters. That way, he'll have freedom to explore."  
  
Will nodded. "When we finish setting up his room the way  
we've planned, it'll be a wonderful place for him to play."  
  
"I know. You've been working very hard," said Laren.  
"The only thing I'm not really looking forward to is moving  
his crib into his room when I stop nursing."  
  
"It will be hard on all of us. But we'll adjust," said Will.  
They both smiled at each other and continued to watch  
their son play.  
  
  
**********  
  
  
It seemed as if the months had flown by. Raulsta had  
turned a year old. Dr. Crusher gave him a checkup. "He's  
doing just fine, Laren. You've said that you were going to  
stop nursing him at one year. The formula we started him  
on last week seems to be agreeing with him. I can give you  
a shot to dry up your milk if your ready."  
  
Laren nodded. "I'm ready. I enjoyed nursing, but it's time  
to stop now."  
  
"You realize once I give you the shot it will take a few days  
to take effect. "You'll also need to use birth control now. I  
can't give you the birth control injection until you've had  
your first fertility cycle. That will begin while the  
percastile is dring up your milk. You and Will will have to  
use condoms for the time being. If you got pregnant while  
the percastile is drying up your milk, you could have a  
seriously handicapped child. The same is true for the birth  
control injection. It will take six weeks to take effect."  
She pressed the hypo against her neck. It hissed and the  
medication entered Laren's body. The doctor handed her a  
box of condoms. "Here, when you need more come and  
see me."  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Crusher. I've seen babies who were  
affected by these drugs. I won't take any chances." She  
turned and walked out of sickbay. What worried her, was  
how Will would take this.  
  
Raulsta was taking his nap when Will entered their  
quarters. He walked over to where Laren was working on  
the computer and slid his arms around her. She stood up  
returning his embrace and kissing him softly.  
  
"Did Raulsta's checkup go okay?" he asked.  
  
"Everything's fine. Dr. Crusher gave me an injection of  
percastile to dry up my milk. It should take effect in a few  
days. Then, she'll give me a contraceptive injection. That  
takes six weeks to take effect." She paused, not sure how  
Will was going to react to the rest of the news. "We're  
going to have to use condoms until the contraceptive  
injection takes effect."  
  
Will pulled back and stared at her. "Use condoms. I don't  
think so. I'm not wearing a condom."  
  
"You have to. I don't want to get pregnant right now. The  
percastile injection dries up the breast milk, but when that  
happens, the fertility cycle starts immediately." She had to  
make him understand. She refused to take the risk of  
becoming pregnant and giving birth to a child that would  
probably die.  
  
"It doesn't matter if you get pregnant again, I'm not  
wearing them." Will's face was a mask of stubborn pride.  
  
Painful memories began to crowd in her mind. "I said I  
don't want to get pregnant. You have to wear a condom."  
  
Will picked up the box of condoms and threw it across the  
room. "I'm not wearing them." His voice was filled with  
anger.  
  
Laren could not take anymore. She turned and hurried out  
of their quarters. She heard Will call her name as she  
walked out, but she didn't care. She wandered into Ten  
Forward. Since it was early, it was almost deserted. She  
walked over the bar and sat down to talk with Guinan.  
  
Guinan could tell something was wrong. Laren looked very  
upset. She handed Laren a glass of juice.  
  
"What's wrong, Laren?"  
  
"The doctor gave me a shot of percastile to dry up my milk.  
In Bajorans, when the breast milk dries up, the fertility  
cycle starts up immediately. Percastile causes severe birth  
defects. They're usually fatal. Will refuses to wear a  
condom until It's safe." She looked down at her clenched  
hands.  
  
"Did you explain to Will about the ?" asked Guinan.  
  
Laren shook her head slowly. "I didn't tell him."  
  
"Then he's the one you need to talk to. Usually I listen, but  
in this case I'm making an exception. It's Will who you  
need to talk to, not me." said Guinan firmly.  
  
Laren rose reluctantly from the stool. "You're right. I also  
did something we promised each other not to do. I walked  
out on an argument."  
  
She headed for the door resolved to somehow find the  
courage to tell Will, since it meant digging up painful  
memories.  
  
Will glared coldly at her as she walked into their quarters.  
"Why did you walk out. We promised each other that we'd  
never do that again during a fight."  
  
She walked over to where he stood, tears trickling down  
her cheeks. "I know, and I'm sorry. I....I was just upset."  
She took his hand and led him to the computer console on  
the desk. He followed her sensing there was much more to  
this than he had originally thought.  
  
"Computer, show cases of Bajoran babies born to mothers  
who received percastile to dry up breast milk and became  
pregnant. Also show cases of Bajoran babies of mothers  
who became pregnant before their lophamor contraceptive  
shot took effect." said Laren in a tearful voice. Picture  
after picture of terribly disfigured babies began flashing  
across the screen along with their case histories. One  
caught Will's attention. Ro Beryl, who died at three days  
old. Will looked at Laren's tearstained face.  
  
"Was he your brother?" he asked softly.  
  
She nodded sadly. "I was five years old at the time.  
You've seen the babies. Do you see why I can't risk getting  
pregnant?"  
  
He pulled her to her feet and drew her into a comforting  
embrace. "I didn't know. Why didn't you explain it to  
me."  
  
"I didn't want to dredge up old hurts," she whispered as she  
buried her face against his chest.  
  
"Now that I know how important it is, I'll wear them as  
long as necessary," said Will. The infants that continued to  
flash on the screen were the most horribly disfigured babies  
he had ever seen. "Computer, stop," ordered Will, wanting  
to spare both of them. He lifted her face to look at him.  
"We seem to have had a fight. I think we need to make up,  
don't you?" There was tender expression on his face.  
  
She smiled up at him. "I agree."  
  
He led her over to where the box of condoms still lay.  
  
"We need to put these in the bedroom." They walked  
slowly into their room.  
  
Later as they lay in each other's arms, Will asked, "Feel  
better now?"  
  
"Making love with you always makes me feel better.  
You're a fantastic lover, but I did miss the feel of your skin  
inside me, and the hot burst of semen flooding my insides."  
She looked at him with a tender smile. "In about seven  
weeks we should be able to forget all about condoms."  
  
He pulled her closer. "Only if the doctor says it's safe. We  
won't take any chances." He thought for a few moments.  
"You said your breast milk should be dried up in a few  
days. That means soon I get to start making up for lost  
time." He gave her a leering grin.  
  
"That's right," she began. "Now that I'm not nursing  
anymore, you'll be able to do what you've been wanting to  
do for a long time. What I've missed you doing." Her eyes  
glowed as she remembered the pleasurable things he had  
done during their brief affair that had resulted in her  
becoming pregnant with Raulsta. She moved her lips to  
softly brush against his. It felt so good to be in his arms.  
  
They heard Raulsta babbling. "I guess I'd better go get  
him." said Laren. Before she got out of bed she kissed  
Will passionately. As she slid on her robe, she thought  
about how surprised Will would be to see how her fertility  
cycle starting would affect her sexual desire. It had been  
during a fertility cycle when they had their affair.  
  
She walked out of their room and into Raulsta's. He sat in  
his crib smiling and babbling. She picked him up and  
carried him back to the table. Will was waiting for them.  
Once he was in his high chair, Raulsta began to bang on the  
tray.  
  
"I think he's telling us that he's hungry," chuckled Will.  
Laren stood by the replicator as it processed his food.  
  
"Here you go, Raulsta," she sat down beside him and  
began feeding him. He ate with a hearty appetite. Laren  
looked up at Will. "You know, Will, I'm worried. He's  
turned a year old, and he's not even pulling up yet. You  
don't think there's anything wrong do you?"  
  
"Well, Dr. Crusher has never found anything amiss in his  
checkups. But, if it would make you feel better, you can  
always talk to her about it. I suspect nothing is wrong, that  
he's just not at that developmental level yet. Babies walk at  
different ages."  
  
"You're probably right, but I think I'll still may ask Dr.  
Crusher about it. Just to make sure."  
  
Three days later, Laren's milk had dried up. She knew it  
had from the look and feel of her breasts. She also knew,  
because it was obvious that her fertility was in full swing.  
She was in a very amorous mood. Will was still asleep  
in bed beside her. They had rotated off duty for two days.  
She lay by him, waiting for him to wake up. It took quite a  
bit of self control not to wake him up. She wanted to make  
love with him so much. Still it wasn't often they were  
afforded an opportunity to sleep in, and she wanted him to  
get some well deserved rest. As she lay there, memories  
of the months that had passed since she'd gotten pregnant  
with Raulsta. She was still reflecting on theses memories  
when Will stirred in bed beside her. She looked over and  
saw his eyes resting upon her.  
  
"Good morning, Will," she whispered softly as she moved  
to kiss him. He returned her kiss with warmth and  
tenderness.  
  
"Good morning, bright eyes. You're certainly up early for  
our day off," he whispered teasingly.  
  
"There's a good reason for that. My milk has dried up now.  
My fertility cycle is in full swing." Her eyes sparkled at  
him. "I've had other things on my mind besides sleep."  
She put her arms around him and pulled him closer, kissing  
him passionately. As he responded to her passion, her  
hands began exploring his body eagerly. Will felt his own  
passions being ignited.  
  
After a time, pulled back a little and smiled at her. "I think  
I'd better get a condom, before it's too late."  
  
She smiled and reached over him to get one from the  
box....  
  
Much later, they sat down to breakfast with Raulsta. The  
passion of the morning had them both glowing. Raulsta,  
sensing his parents' happy mood was also in a good mood.  
  
"We need to stop by sick bay and pick up some more  
condoms." commented Will. "That box is almost gone."  
  
"I think Dr. Crusher expected them to last us a little  
longer." chuckled Laren. "After all, we've been married  
for almost a year now."  
  
"But our passion for each other is still as strong as it ever  
was." said Will happily. He reached over and tenderly  
stroked her cheek. "Maybe she'd better give us a larger box  
this time. That way, we don't have to come back so soon  
for more."  
  
"That's good idea. Because for at least the next three days, my  
fertility cycle is going to make my desire even stronger. I'll get  
my lophmar shot in a few days, but it won't end this cycle.  
It should take six weeks to stop them." She gave Will a  
smile. "Then it's back to the good old fashioned way of making   
love." She slid her hand alongthe inside of his thigh. "I   
can't wait."  
  
********  
  
  
Laren and Will sat close beside each other at a candle lit  
table. It was their first anniversary. Will had planned a  
spectacular evening for them. The holodeck program had  
taken quite a bit of time to develop. He had started over  
numerous time to make sure everything was perfect. He  
finally settled on an evening in Paris. Laren looked so  
lovely in the gown he had selected for her, he could  
scarcely keep his eyes off of her.  
  
"Do you like my surprise?" he whispered softly.  
  
"It's wonderful, Will," she murmured, drawing him into a  
kiss. They pulled apart as a waiter approached with a tray  
of food. He quickly served them and left.  
  
"Will, this looks delicious," began Laren. She picked up a  
fork and began eating.  
  
"I am glad you like it, Laren. I worked very hard to make  
this night very special for us. I want it to be an evening  
we'll never forget."  
  
"I know it will be," said Laren in a soft voice.  
  
When they finished dinner, they strolled along quiet streets  
arms around each other. Laren was so content. She knew  
she didn't deserve such happiness, yet somehow fate had  
brought it to her. Will stopped her and drew her into his  
arms for a long passionate kiss. She clung to him  
responding with all her heart. His love flooded her senses  
so completely that she was almost overwhelmed.  
  
"Let's go back to the hotel," whispered Will tenderly. She  
nodded, burying her face against his broad chest. She  
wanted to be alone with him so much. Will had refused to  
tell her anything about the evening, insisting it all be a  
surprise as it happened. She could hardly wait to see what  
would happen next. They entered a fancy hotel lobby and  
walked over to the elevator. As they rode up to the top  
floor, Will held her in his arms. When the elevator  
stopped, he led her to a door. As he opened it, she saw a  
luxurious suite. He lifted her in his arms and carried her  
across the threshold. Once inside, he lowered her to her  
feet and closed the door behind them. He smiled as she  
gazed in wonder at the room.  
  
"How do you like it?" he asked softly.  
  
"It's beautiful, Will," she answered.  
  
He picked up a beautifully wrapped package. This is for  
you. Go ahead and open it."  
  
There was an eager excitement in his eyes. She loosened  
the ribbon and bow and then began pulling on the tape.  
The shiny paper came off easily. She opened the box and  
found a lacy white gown with a matching robe.  
  
"Oh, Will, it's beautiful." She stood and kissed him  
lovingly.  
  
"Go into the bathroom and put it on," he whispered  
huskily.  
  
When she came out, Will met her at the door and tenderly  
embraced her. His warm lips pressed firmly against hers.  
Then he lifted her and carried her to the bed.  
  
********  
  
  
  
Their anniversary celebration was all Will had hoped for  
and more. He smiled at Laren who was sitting at the desk  
in their quarters. She was trying to finish the Flight  
Handling Assessment Report the Captain requested. The  
ship was long overdue for a maintenance stop over, and  
their were some minor fluctuations in the conn station she  
had to plan compensations for. They were scheduled for a  
maintenance stopover in four weeks. Until then, she and  
the other con officers were going to have to compensate.  
Laren's experience as Senior Con officer made her the  
logical one to do the work. She shook her head and rubbed  
her neck with a small groan. Will walked over to where  
she was sitting. "Rough time, with the report," he asked  
sympathetically.  
  
She nodded at him with a rueful smile. "I have a terrible  
crick in my neck. These compensatory routines I'm  
developing are going to take a lot of time to program into  
the navi-computer too. I wish the star base could take us  
earlier. These sub-routines are going take forever to finish  
writing."  
  
"Well, I know if anyone can do it, you can. You're the one  
who came up with the new routine to do Flight Handling  
Assessments." His eyes twinkled at her. If I recall, we  
discussed that change right before the Satarrans took over  
the ship." He smiled as she blushed, remembering all that  
had transpired. "The best thing that came out of that  
takeover is that we are together now. I never would have  
dreamed that you were attracted to me."  
  
She smiled up at him. "Well, I don't think anyone would  
have believed we would end up together. We're so  
different."  
  
"Well, you know the old saying, "Opposites attract,"  
answered Will. He began to gently massage her neck.  
"How does that feel?" His fingers firmly probed the tightly  
knotted muscles in her neck. She leaned back and sighed  
deeply. "That feels fantastic." He continued to massage  
her neck. Slowly, the muscles began to loosen up. When  
he could no longer feel the knots and her muscles had  
relaxed he bent down and kissed her neck tenderly. "There,  
a massage and a kiss to make it better."  
  
"Thank you, Will. That does feel much better." She turned  
and softly kissed his lips. Then she turned her attention  
back to her work. It was very complicated. She estimated  
that she had at least six to eight hours of work to finish  
writing the routines and sub-routines.  
  
"You need to stop and eat some something. I'll get us steak  
dinners from the replicator. I fed Raulsta earlier while you  
were still talking with the Captain. He was sleepy, so I put  
him to bed early." He walked to the replicator.  
  
She watched him with a smile. "I'm sorry, Will. I didn't  
mean to leave all the work to you tonight. I was just so  
involved in working this program that I didn't realize that  
was happening."  
  
He turned to her with a reassuring look. "Don't worry  
about it. You've got orders from the Captain to get that  
program ready to use. That's what you have to concentrate  
on now." He carried a tray to the table. "Now, come over  
here and eat your supper. Then you can work some more  
on that program."  
  
She walked over to the table and sat down. "Thank you,  
Will. I didn't realize how hungry I was."  
  
After they finished their meal, Will cleaned up while Laren  
went back to work on the program. When he finished  
cleaning up he walked over to the desk. "How's it  
coming?" he asked.  
  
"Well, it's taking a lot longer than I expected it to. Take a  
look at this and tell me what you think."  
  
He peered at the screen and nodded his head. "It looks like  
you are definitely on the right track. These sub-routines  
look good." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I think you  
shouldn't work any longer than two hours more on this  
tonight. You're tired, and you could make mistakes. Then  
it will take you even longer to finish."  
  
"I agree. I don't want to make any mistakes." Will went  
over and sat of the sofa and left her to her work.  
  
Two hours later, Laren shut off the computer and rose from  
the desk chair. "I've made a lot of progress tonight. I may  
even finish sooner than I expected.  
  
Will smiled at her. I think you need a nice hot shower to  
relax you before you go to bed."  
  
"So do I," began Laren. "Why don't you join me." She held  
her hand out to Will, and he took it and they walked to the  
bathroom.  
  
Late the next day, Laren ran a simulation of her program.  
She watched as the sub-routines ran. If everything checked  
out, she could present the program to the Captain for his  
approval. It had taken most of the day. She would have  
rather been at the con station on the bridge. Six more hours  
of work had finally produced what she hoped would  
provide the modifications needed until their scheduled  
maintenance overhaul in four weeks. This was the third  
time she'd tried to run the simulation. The first two times  
problems had appeared in the program. This time she  
hoped she had all the bugs worked out.  
  
Finally, the program completed the simulation run. There  
were no problems this run. She took the P.A.D.D. with the  
program down loaded and headed for the bridge. She  
walked onto the bridge, and strode over to the Captain.  
"Here's the modifications for the con station sir. The final  
simulation checked out with no problems." She handed  
him the P.A.D.D.  
  
He took it and said, "Let's go to my Ready Room and run  
one more simulation. If the modifications meet my  
approval, then you may down load the program into the con  
station computer." They walked to the Ready Room and  
went in. The Captain downloaded the modification  
program into his computer. After running the Captain  
turned to her. "This program is excellent, Ensign. You  
may download the program into the con station  
navi-computer. Congratulations on a job well done. I  
know you spent quite a bit of time on it. After you down  
load the program and make sure there are no problems, you  
have the next forty-eight hours off."  
  
She smiled, "Thank you, Captain. That will give me some  
time to spend with Raulsta." She walked out of the ready  
room and headed straight to the con station. It took about  
forty-five minutes to down load the program and run the  
necessary simulations. She turned to the Captain with a  
smile. "It looks good, sir."  
  
The Captain nodded. "Well done, Ensign. Unless any  
problems develop, you're off for the next forty-eight hours."  
With a broad smile to Will, she left the bridge and headed  
to pick up Raulsta.  
  
In the Child Care Center, Raulsta laughed with delight  
when he saw his mother walk in. His arms reached up to  
her. Laren smiled down at her son. He still wasn't walking  
or standing yet. Since she had time off, she decided to take  
Raulsta down to sickbay and have Dr. Crusher examine  
him to see if there was a problem. She and Will had  
discussed it before. She bent down and picked him up. He  
wrapped his arms around her neck, and she hugged him  
tightly.  
  
Down in sickbay, Dr. Crusher snapped the Medical  
Tricorder shut. "There aren't any problems, Laren.  
Children start learning to walk a different ages. His legs  
are strong. He'll walk when he's ready."  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Crusher. I feel better knowing there's  
nothing wrong," said Laren.  
  
"Anytime you have a concern, feel free to come in.  
Motherhood is not easy. First time mothers have a lot to  
learn," said Dr. Crusher.  
  
Later that evening, she and Raulsta were playing on the  
floor when Will walked into their quarters. She stood up  
and walked over to greet him with a warm kiss. He held  
her close reveling in the warmth of her kiss. "You're  
lucky," he whispered in her ear. "Forty-eight hours off."  
  
She looked up at him in mock indignation. "I earned that  
time off. That program was hard work. It took a lot of  
concentration to make it work."  
  
He kissed her again. "I know it did. You did a great job.  
The con ran smoother than it has in weeks." He released  
her and picked up Raulsta and swung him in the air.  
Raulsta laughed delightedly. Laren smiled and walked  
over the replicator. "I'll get dinner ready."  
  
Soon they were all at the table. Raulsta babbled happily.  
"I had Dr. Crusher give Raulsta a checkup today. I've been  
concerned about him not walking or standing yet. She's  
says there's no problem."  
  
"That's good." said Will. "He'll walk and stand in his own  
time." He reached over and ruffled Raulsta's curly hair.  
"Isn't that right, pal?"  
  
Raulsta chuckled and held his chubby arms out and said,  
"Dada, dada up."  
  
With a smile, Will picked up Raulsta from his high chair.  
He chuckled as Will held him close. Laren smiled at the  
two of them. "You're a wonderful father, Will." she said  
lovingly. She stood and began to clear the table. "Will, I  
wish we were both off. I would have enjoyed spending the  
extra time with both you and Raulsta." Will smiled at her.  
"I know, but We'll still have the evenings together, and with  
you being off duty, you won't be tired. So we'll be able to  
enjoy evenings together."  
  
She smiled at him from across the room.  
  
"I'm almost finished cleaning up. Do you want to bathe  
Raulsta, or do you want me to do it."  
  
Will stood up. I'll bathe him." He swung Raulsta up in the  
air. "Come on, Raulsta, it's time for your bath."  
  
Raulsta laughed and said, "Dada, baff."  
  
Will laughed, "Yes, Raulsta, bath." He took Raulsta into  
the bathroom. Laren smiled after them. Somehow, she had  
never expected family life to be like this. Of course, her  
family life in Bajoran resettlement camps had been so  
abnormal, that she wasn't sure she knew what normal  
family life should be like. Will had certainly proven  
himself to be committed to family life. His love for his  
family was unmistakable. She heard Raulsta's laughter ring  
out as Will bathed him. She went into the bathroom and  
watched as Will lifted Raulsta from the tub. His uniform  
was soaked.  
  
"Looks like Raulsta tried to give you a bath too." Her eyes  
twinkled at him.  
  
"He likes to splash," said Will with a chuckle. He dried  
Raulsta off and put him in his sleepers.  
  
Laren reached for him. "I'll rock him to sleep while you get  
out of your wet clothes." She walked over to her rocking  
chair and sat down with Raulsta nestled in her arms. He  
gazed up at her with sleepy eyes. She rocked him quietly  
reflecting on how her life had changed so dramatically over  
the past two years. If anyone had told her life would turn  
out this way back when she was still in the stockade, she  
would have laughed in their face. Sometimes she thought  
she might wake up and find it all a dream. At least her son  
would never live through the horrors of a resettlement  
camp. Nor would he see Cardassians torture his father to  
death. She blinked back the tears in her eyes. It happened  
a long time ago, she told herself firmly. Crying won't bring  
him back. She gazed down at her son. He was sleeping  
peacefully. She stood slowly and quietly and carried him  
to his room. Very carefuly, she eased him into his crib.  
  
Will walked in behind her. He slid his arms around her and  
pulled her back against his chest. "It didn't take long for  
him to fall asleep," commented Will. "No," answered  
Laren. "We played a lot this afternoon. I think I wore him  
out."  
  
Will turned her to face him. "Want to try to wear me out  
tonight."  
  
She looked into his eyes and smiled. "I've always enjoyed a  
challenge." She pulled out his arms and took his hand in  
hers. They walked out of Raulsta's room and into their  
own.  
  
............Laren stared in horror at the Cardassian soldier. He  
reached out to take her hand. She pulled back in fear. He  
grabbed her hand and pulled her along. At the door of a  
room, he pulled a piece of candy out of his pocket and  
handed it to her. She looked at him suspiciously and  
smelled it. Then she quickly popped it into her mouth.  
The soldier opened the door and led her into a room. There  
in the room was her father and another Cardassian. Her  
father stared at her. She'd never seen him look like this  
before. The other Cardassian picked up some type of  
device. He pressed a button. Her father clutched at his  
chest and screamed in pain. Laren tried to turn away, but  
the soldier held her firmly in place. Each time the  
Cardassian pressed a button, her father screamed. Soon,  
Laren was screaming too....  
  
Will awoke with a start. Laren was screaming, "Father,  
father! No, please don't hurt my father." She kept  
screaming it over and over.  
  
Will shook her gently. "Laren," he called. "Laren, wake  
up. You're having a nightmare." Suddenly, she sat upright  
in bed. It took a few seconds for her to realize where she  
was.  
  
Will pulled her into his arms. "Are you all right? You  
must have been having a terrible nightmare."  
  
She nodded her head as she continued to sob against Will's  
chest. Will realized that now was not the time to question  
her about the nature of the nightmare. Right now, she  
needed comforting. Finally, she stopped crying and  
shaking.  
  
"Are you okay, Laren. Do you want to talk about it." asked  
Will gently.  
  
She nodded slowly. Will lay down, pulling her down  
beside him. He cuddled her in his arms protectively. "Tell  
me what you were dreaming about."  
  
"I was dreaming about the day the Cardassians killed my  
father." She buried her face in his chest. "It seemed so  
real. As real as the day it happened."  
  
Will pulled her closer. "I'm so sorry, Laren. I wish I could  
do something to help ease your pain."  
  
She snuggled closer. "Just hold me." Will nodded and  
tightened his arms around her. He realized she no longer  
wanted to talk, so he simply held her. Before long, her  
breathing told him that she was asleep. Only then did he  
close his eyes and drift off to sleep.  
  
The next morning, he quietly got out of bed. Laren was  
still sleeping. He wanted to surprise her with breakfast in  
bed. He wanted to do anything to help ease the pain the  
horrible nightmare had caused her. He quickly walked into  
the main room and made selections from the replicator for  
their breakfast. A quick peek into Raulsta's room revealed  
that he was still asleep. Will took the tray and carried it  
into their bedroom. He sat the tray on a bedside table and  
leaned down and kissed Laren tenderly. Her eyes opened  
and she returned Will's kiss. She slid her arms around his  
neck and continued kissing him. After a lengthy kiss, Will  
pulled back and slid into bed beside her. He handed her a  
bowl of strawberries.  
  
"I thought you might enjoy breakfast in bed." he said with  
a smile. He took one of the strawberries and held up to her  
mouth. She bit into the strawberry as he held out to her.  
The memory of the terrible nightmare begin to ease in the  
comfort of Will's attentiveness.  
  
********  
  
  
A few weeks went by, and Laren's sleep had not been  
disturbed by anymore recurrences of the nightmare about  
her father. Will looked down at his sleeping wife. She  
looked so peaceful and happy. The evening after her  
horrific nightmare, she had told him the entire story. He  
was shocked at the brutality she had been forced to witness  
at such a young age.  
  
She stirred and opened her eyes. "Good morning," said  
Will as he bent down to kiss her. She smiled at him and  
lifted her head to meet his lips. After a good morning kiss,  
she put on her robe and went to check on Raulsta. He was  
sitting in his crib. As she walked in, he grabbed the rail of  
his crib and began pulling himself up.  
  
Laren smiled. "Will," she called excitedly. "You've got to  
come and see this." Will hurried into the room wondering  
what had Laren so excited. By the time Will had arrived,  
Raulsta was standing in his crib holding on to the rail.  
"Look,, Will," began Laren. "He pulled himself up." She  
walked over to the crib and picked him up. "Oh, Raulsta,  
you stood up. Good boy!" She hugged him tightly to her.  
  
"See, Laren, I told you that he would stand and walk in his  
own good time."  
  
She beamed at Will. "I know. I was just having New  
mother anxiety."  
  
Later, after breakfast, she and Will spent time playing with  
Raulsta. They were both off duty, so they were enjoying  
spending time with their son. Laren lifted him to his feet  
and took his hands encouraging him to walk. To encourage  
him even more, Will sat a few feet away holding his hands  
out to Raulsta.  
  
He took a few tentative steps and laughed. "Ra ra walk."  
he babbled. "Come on, Raulsta. Come to daddy," Will  
said encouragingly. He toddled on into his fathers arms.  
  
Within a few days, Raulsta was walking on his own. He  
toddled all over their quarters. Laren found herself moving  
more and more things out of his reach. The "baby proof"  
quarters were not quite as "baby proof" as she thought they  
were. Everything within reach was examined and tasted.  
At least he could not escape from his crib yet. She had  
heard one mother bemoaning the fact that once her  
daughter woke up she was out of her crib in a flash. She  
was waiting on Will to get back from a meeting with Data.  
Then,they were going to take Raulsta to the holodeck to  
experience the beach. She chuckled remembering the  
beach of Risa. There would be no skinny dipping today.  
Not with Raulsta with them. They had been skinny dipping  
several times on the holodeck, but wouldn't be doing it  
today. The door slid open and Will walked in. Laren met  
him halfway across the room. She greeted him with a hug  
and kiss which he eagerly accepted.  
  
Soon they were all three on a holographic beach. Raulsta  
laughed with delight as he chased the waves. Laren smiled  
at their son. He was having the time of his life. "he really  
likes the beach," said Will as they watched him playing.  
The afternoon flew by, and before they knew it, time was  
up and they had to leave.  
  
"We'll have to bring him back for the beach program  
again," commented Laren as they exited the holodeck.  
  
"I agree. He had fun. We did too. Next time though, I'd   
like it to be just the two of us." He looked at Laren with   
a leer. "We haven't been skinny dipping in a long time."   
Laren laughed. "You're incorrigible, Will." She put her  
arms around his neck and gave him a lengthy kiss as they waited  
for the turbo lift. The lift doors opened and she pulled back.  
They walked into the lift and she grinned at Will. "It's about  
time for Raulsta's nap. While he takes his nap, why don't we  
have a little fun ourselves." She ran her hand suggestively  
down Will's chest. He shifted Raulsta to his other arm and  
pulled her close to kiss her. I'll take you up on that offer  
as soon as he is asleep."  
  
********  
  
  
Laren was working at her desk in their quarters when Will walked in with  
Raulsta. Smiling, she stood to greet them.  
  
"Well, how did it go?" she asked after Will had kissed her.  
  
"Raulsta had a blast. It's too bad you couldn't go with us," said Will.  
  
"I know, but this report had to be finished by tomorrow," answered Laren  
resignedly. "What matters is you two got to spend some time together.  
He really enjoys spending time with you."  
  
Raulsta reached for his mother and Laren took him in her arms with a  
smile. She could tell he was sleepy, so she took him to the rocking  
chair and began rocking him.  
  
Will sat on the sofa quietly watching as his wife rocked their son to  
sleep. A few years ago, if anyone had told him that he would be married  
to Ro Laren and raising a child with her, he would have laughed in their  
face. He thought back to the day when she had very nervously told him  
she was pregnant from the brief fling they had shared when the Sutterans  
had blocked their memories. Because of his promise to help her in any  
way he could, they had begun to spend time together. In time, he became  
better aquatinted with Laren. He saw parts of her that others seldom  
saw.  
  
As their child grew within her womb, their relationship had blossomed  
as well. The night she had agreed to marry him was the one of the  
happiest ones of his life.  
  
Laren rose and carried Raulsta to his room and gently laid him in his  
crib. As she stood there watching him sleep, she thought how much her  
life had changed. Yes, the troubles of her past were still with her and  
always would be, but they were tempered with the joy that Will and  
Raulsta brought to her life. Nightmares, whether from the incident at  
Garron or her hellish life in the resettlement camps, were soothed by  
Will's tender, comforting words and touches when they occurred.  
  
Her son and husband had wrought tremendous changes in her life. She  
loved them both dearly, and they gave her love in return. Her life had  
changed dramatically because of them. She recalled the day she had to  
tell Will that she was pregnant with his child. She had been certain he  
would be furious with her and place all the blame on her. After all,  
she had practically seduced him. His compassion had overwhelmed her.  
Slowly, as he helped her cope with the unexpected pregnancy, they had  
grown closer. Now, they were married and shared a deep and abiding love  
for each other.  
  
She quietly left Raulsta's room and walked into the living area. Will  
smiled at her and drew her into his arms. She pressed her cheek against  
his chest and wrapped her arms around his muscular body. This was where  
she belonged. She was no longer a lonely, rejected outsider. An  
unexpected pregnancy had brought the most unexpected outcome of her  
entire life.  



End file.
